


Rebirth: Sternenprinz

by RamenSpice20



Category: Bleach
Genre: Abuse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arrancar Empire, Bleach if they never killed the Quincies, Chad gets more attention, Childhood Trauma, Depression, Fanart, Gen, I don't know I've got long ass chapters, Ichigo needs a hug, Minor Character Changes, Orihime gets to be badass, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Torture, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, Quincy Empire, Rape Recovery, Rebirth, Recovery, Self-Harm, Slow to Begin (Slow Build? Isn't that a relationship tag??), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Underage Rape/Non-con, World Rebuilding, long chapters, possible future relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-07-02 09:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 218,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15793719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RamenSpice20/pseuds/RamenSpice20
Summary: “Ichigo took his time walking to the bridge, the weight of all the stones and rocks in his pockets making him feel heavier. Looking down at the river, Ichigo could see just how swollen the rain had made it, sluggish surface hiding the killer currents this river was known for. He often stopped at this bridge to think and watch the water. So many times he'd wondered what it would be like...Eyes glued on the water, Ichigo waited as a car passed behind him. Climbing over the safety railing, Ichigo took himself to the very edge to stand precariously atop the second railing. Wind tugging at his hair, Ichigo closed his eyes and slowly raised his arms out to the sides to feel the last rays of sun on him. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo stepped off the bridge.”Rebirth has always been a tricky business, and fate is far crueler to Ichigo in his second life.





	1. Prologue: Of Cleaning and Blackmail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since in this version of ending to Bleach (you'll have to find out through this story how and why everyone was reborn after Bleach supposedly had a happy ending) Ichigo's soul ends up being reborn to the wrong Shinigami-quincy pair in a world vastly different to the one we know thanks to the changes made by mysterious past events, his last name and mother are German. That also means that there will be a lot of german terms and actual german spoken ('cause Ichigo speaks german), but I don't speak any german, so I have to do something unforgivable. I must use google translate. I know. I'm disgusting. There will be so many errors, but please bear with me - I will put translations at the bottom of each chapter if you don't want to look up translations or trust our drunken google boi.
> 
> I ain't kidding when I say this fic is dark. Be aware that this story deals with dark subjects like depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicide and suicidal thoughts, self harm, abuse, rape, and torture. If any of these subjects are sensitive to you, be advised.
> 
> Ew, "Godebert," I know, but it's old German and it means "god" and "bright" and it was the only thing I could find under German last names fitting the criteria I wanted.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

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Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

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_Inner thoughts/speech_

**Prologue: Of Cleaning and Blackmail**

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Ichigo sighed. He wished he could stay here forever, watching the lazy water flow beneath him from his spot on the bridge as the sun started to sink behind the horizon to leave the sky washed with an orange as bright as his hair. He usually paid more attention to the river, but today the sunset was especially pretty. Something about sunsets just made him feel calmer, like he was finally getting to rest after a long and exhausting battle. In a way, he was resting after a long battle - his entire day was nothing but fighting. Fighting to get out of the house, fighting through school, fighting through work, and actual fighting. Ichigo sighed again. He was not looking forward to having to walk home after his last shift. He could do without a fight from one of the wannabe punks that waited for him at this bridge before work every night, it just made working so much more difficult. He supposed it was a convenient excuse for what he was already dealing with, but still. It didn't make him any happier about it.

_If I don't get myself moving soon, I'm gonna get yelled at again for being late. Let's just get this over with..._

Ichigo pushed off from the railing where he'd been leaning and took a deep breath before heading to the end of the bridge at a brisk pace. Sure enough, when he reached the end, a group of thuggish looking young men stepped out from behind the same concrete bridge marker that gangs wanting a fight always waited for him at.

"Where do you think you're going, punk? My boys and I have been waitin' all damn day just to catch your sorry ass for a little conversation..." The leader sporting a deep purple jumpsuit and balding greasy black slicked back hair said with a malicious grin.

If it wasn't for how tired he was, Ichgio would have rolled his eyes. This guy looked a few pounds short of a street lamp, no way was a string bean like him gonna beat him. The five guys behind him seemed a lot more fit, so Ichigo was guessing that this guy was leader because he had some sort of monetary hold over the others. A seedy rich guy like him was bound to attract some low-lives looking for a fight and some good pay, so Ichigo figured all he had to do was take out Greasy Toothpick and maybe one other guy and the others would cut and run. You can't buy loyalty.

"Which one are you, you're brothers or cousins or something with one of the guys I beat up yesterday and want revenge, you're hear to test my reputation, you're here to teach me some respect for you low-lives, or what?" Ichigo asked with arms crossed and eyes half-lidded. The leader twitched.

"What, you don't know who we are and what we're here for after what you did?!" The leader exclaimed and pulled out a wooden sword.

"Uh, post-liposuction teletubby looking for the rest of his hair?" Ichigo deadpanned. He didn't really need to egg him on, but Ichigo had been doing that a lot lately.

"Why you snotnosed ass-wipe! Don't just stand there, GET HIM!" The leader motioned wildly at Ichigo, face beet red and furious.

Ichigo just sighed and dodged a punch from a tattooed behemoth before using his momentum to drive his knee into his gut, ducking just in time to feel the swish of a wooden sword above his head. Quickly jumping back up, Ichigo moved out of the way from another sword strike to plant his foot in the nearest goon's face, a red-haired man with thick side burns. Feeling his foot connect, Ichigo bit back a cry of pain from antagonizing the twisted ankle he had gained from yesterday's late return home. Pushing through the pain from his ankle and various other places of soreness, Ichigo whipped around as fast as he could to sucker punch a man with blue shades into the ground.

Ignoring the panicked cries of the henchmen, Ichigo let the lunging leader's sword slide past him as he grabbed his stunned face to force his legs and sword to fly forwards while his face remained in Ichigo's hand. Crying out from the pain of having had Ichigo's hand mashed into his face, the leader didn't yet register the foot flying straight for his greasy, balding head.

Hissing in pain, Ichigo resisted the urge to reach down and rub his ankle as he stood over the unconscious man, opting instead to glare ominously at the remaining thugs trying to drag their wounded friends away.

"SHIT! This freak's crazy - RUN!"

Forgetting their supposed boss, the five goons turned tail and ran.  _Guess I was right about their loyalty..._  As soon as they were out of sight, Ichigo stumbled back and leaned down to gingerly massage his throbbing ankle.  _Shit, this really hurts... No time to stop and check it out though, gotta keep moving._  Stepping over the unconscious man, Ichigo started jogging down the concrete path ignoring his ankle's painful protesting. He had a long way to go if he wanted to make it across town in time, even if this fight had been fairly quick. It didn't help that he had a slight cough that he couldn't shake. He just hoped for once no one would notice his tardiness...

x

"Can anyone tell me what time it is?"

Silence.

"Ichigo, do  _you_  know what time it is?"

Ichigo swallowed.

"Sir, I'm sorr-"

"What. Time. Is. It."

Ichigo kept his head down with his arms stiff at his side.

"It's 7:28 pm, sir." Ichigo muttered just loud enough for his boss to hear.

"Louder."

Ichigo cleared his throat and clenched his fists. He wanted to fight, to run, to do something, but he  _needed_  this job more than anything.

"It is 7:28 pm, sir." Ichigo said, louder. His coworker Kaiya snickered behind him.

"Since Ichigo obviously doesn't know when his night shift starts, who else can tell me?" His boss, Daimo, asked the ring of workers gathered around Ichigo for his punishment. Ichigo shut his eyes when he heard Kaiya speak up from behind him.

"7:20 pm, Daimo-sama, after Yumi's night shift ends and I take on the cash register right on time." Kaiya gave a sickly sweet smile to her boss.

"Very good, Kaiya, maybe a wonderful employee like you should take Ichigo's job." Daimo said as Kaiya beamed. Kaiya, raven haired, venomous, squeaky clean Kaiya. She absolutely hated Ichigo for some reason, and had been pining after his job ever since he got it. Anytime she could make Ichgio miserable or her fellow workers laugh at his expense, she would. It was like some low budget high school movie, complete with oblivious higher-ups and social cliques.

"Wait, please, sir I can explain. I was on my way here when -" Daimo held up a hand to silence Ichigo.

"No one cares why you were late. I've heard more excuses from you than I can count, so you can stop pretending to limp and just own up to your tardiness." Daimo said. Ichigo's heart dropped. He normally didn't try to hide his injuries or weak coughing since no one really said anything or seemed to care, but it seemed that this time he should have. Now his boss thought he was trying to trick him or something - did no one really trust him?

"Yes sir. I promise it won't happen again." Ichigo said dejectedly. Daimo glared at him.

"You had better. The only reason I let a delinquent like you work at my store is thanks to my incredible generosity. I should have fired your worthless ass a long time ago." Turning to his employees, Daimo waved his hand in dismissal. "Show's over, get back to work!"

As his coworkers dispersed, Ichigo thanked his lucky stars that the convenience store was empty at this time of night. Pulling his dark green beany lower on his head to further cover his "unprofessional" hair, Ichigo quickly slipped on his night janitor vest and grabbed a mop to start cleaning.

He'd been working here since he was 12 (having lied about his age at the time), as opposed to the other workers who had only been there a year, but had never been offered a promotion because of a couple reasons. Daimo was not an idiot and could recognize a preteen when he saw one, but had a reputation for hiring underage workers off the record in exchange for personal errands. That was the whole reason Ichigo was working at this particular convenience store over half an hour away from where he lived - it was one of the only places that would hire him. But now that Ichigo was 15 and he was legal to work and receive better pay if he was to include his records and time of work, doing so would reveal that he was clearly underage when he had begun working. Another more obvious reason that he wasn't getting promoted was that Daimo seemed to hate him as much as his coworkers. They always acted like it was because of his weary, dismal attitude, but Ichigo was pretty sure it was because they didn't have to treat him like a normal employee and he was easy to blame. "Daimo sir, I wouldn't have spilled if Ichgio hadn't been distracting me" "Daimo-sama, I didn't work on this yet because I was waiting for Ichigo to arrive" "I thought Ichigo was taking care of this, sir" No one ever questioned if it was really his fault or not, it just was. He was a screw-up, a delinquent. He was always showing up late and covered in bruises, winded from having to run just to make it across town for work, exhausted from his morning shift and school, and scruffy from his dirty old, worn out clothes. In short, he looked almost as much of a mess as he felt.

"Missed a spot, hobo-boy." Kaiya said without looking up from her magazine at the cash register.

Ichigo tried to growl but it came out as shaky bout of coughing instead.  _Hobo-boy, how original_. It wasn't like he wanted to look like this, he just couldn't afford anything else with his mother Lena constantly confiscating all his money. It had cost him nearly an arm and a leg just to get himself a school uniform with his spending money (whatever he could stash without Lena finding it). The rest he spent on textbooks and crappy fast food since he wasn't allowed to eat at home (not that there was really anything there for him to eat).

Oh, food. He was pretty skilled at ignoring his hunger, and most days he didn't even notice it anymore, but today his stomach protested. He'd managed to eat something he found that some wasteful bastard just left on a bench, an entire sandwich. He'd scarfed it down, not caring that he was getting stares and weird looks. He was hungry, and he'd take anything he could get. His money stash he hid from Lena was too small to steadily feed him, so he had to consistently save up money and space out all his meals.

Hearing the tell-tale jingle of a customer coming through the door, Ichigo looked up to see a group of high school age students walk in, too engrossed with their conversation to notice him.

"No way! Why would they be sending another scout to our school so soon? You don't think they're finally gonna take one of those part-time students into their program, are they?" A boy with medium brown hair asked his raven-haired companion. Ichigo frowned, he knew these two boys from school. Keigo and Mizuiro were their names, if he was recalling correctly.

"Well, they are kind of unpredictable when it comes to the time they take in students, so maybe they got a new recommendation they're looking into from the school. Or they found out a student is related to one of the school clans." Mizuiro answered. Ichigo frowned again.

 _They must be talking about one of the private schools for gifted students._  Every year they sent out scouts to different schools to see if any students applied to any of their programs. What the criteria was for these programs, no one seemed to know. Some said it was for secret prodigies and generally unique academics, and others said it was for students with a special heritage and lineage to the school clans. If Ichigo remembered right, the father of a classmate of his was of direct lineage to one of the Echt Quincy Academy's family clans. For some reason, anyone related to certain families only attended that school and studied their heritage and other unknown topics along with the standard school curriculum. Despite being exclusively for those of "pure" heritage, the school was widely considered the best of the best. Apparently it was a hot topic at school as to why this classmate chose to attend Karakura High instead of the prestigious Echt Quincy Academy. Rumor was that his mother wasn't of pure lineage. Ichigo himself was indifferent to that rumor as he'd had many a rumor spun about him, though his were a lot more negative.

"It can't be the Gemischt Quincy Academy again?" A third student with long black hair asked. The Gemischt Quincy Academy was the sister school to the Echt Quincy Academy and was a bit looser with it's heritage policy, almost exclusively taking in students only partially or distantly related to their school clans if they matched the rest of the criteria. Ichigo remembered Lena telling him to stay away from that school and it's scouts for some reason, but he hadn't paid too much attention since Lena seemed to hate all Quincy families.

"Probably not, I mean do you know anybody left at our school with any German names?" Mizuiro asked. It was well known that the two quincy academies were founded and run by their German and German-Japanese family clans, and that their head school was even in Germany. There were only a couple of family clans that held Japanese names that were still related to the schools.

"Well, other than Ichigo, no. But it's pretty obvious from his records that not even Shin'ō Outreach will accept him." The long haired girl said.

Shin'ō Outreach was a global outreach program for students with centers all around the world, unlike the quincy academies that only placed schools in areas with the proper families. For some reason, they dealt more in foreign exchange programs from schools no one had heard of, like their mother school, Shin'ō Academy. No one even knew where it was located, just that it supported Shin'ō Outreach in partnership with a small group of unknown aristocrats. Karakura town was lucky enough to have both quincy academies and a Shin'ō Outreach Center.

The only complaint about having a center in Karakura was the strange foreign students that it brought with it. Many of the students looked far too old to be in school and spent most of their time exploring the town stumbling around like they didn't understand how the modern world worked, marveling at street lights and nearly getting run over by cars. There were even rumors that students were sometimes found unconscious and unresponsive in the strangest locations only to miraculously wake up again. Ichigo had never personally seen these occurrences, so he wrote it off as just another rumor started by somebody with too much time on their hands.

"Maybe not - I heard he gets pretty good grades 'cause he cheats, but nobody can prove it or put it on his record. Scouts wouldn't know about it unless they asked his teachers." Keigo said.

Ichigo gripped his mop handle tightly. He  _wasn't_  cheating. Everyone thought that he was just some stupid delinquent, that he didn't care about school because he arrived late every day and often stepped out of class. They never knew just how hard he worked, busting his ass day and night to study and keep up with work. That was the reason he was late to school every day, he had a morning shift here and no matter how short it was, it always caused him to miss his first period class, P.E. Despite all of this, he worked hard to keep his grades up by studying and doing extra credit every second he wasn't at home.

He even skipped lunch to work on homework in the library where no one would bother him. Sure, he wasn't the best in school, he wasn't even the best in his class, but he could only do so much. It was a struggle just to get average marks.

To be truthful, Ichigo wasn't actually all that angry. He had given up on being angry a long time ago. He had given up in general. He couldn't control what people thought of him, but he could control what he did. So he kept his head down and tried to ignore the whispers, the stares, and the distrust. If they wanted to gawk at him and keep their distance, fine. He didn't need friends, all he needed was his job and his education. At one point when he was much younger, he'd had a plan to work hard and make his way into a good college so he could get a good job and buy a good house to live in with his mother, but that dream had been abruptly stolen from him. Now it was a struggle just to get through each day. He didn't see a direction anymore, just an endless expanse of struggling and school and work. The most he hoped for now was to make it through the week, maybe even high school if he was lucky.

"I really don't think scouts are going to pick him - hey, Tatsuki, didn't you say that Orihime's new neighbor had a scout come see him?" Mizuiro asked.

"I didn't say that, but Orihime thinks she saw a scout knocking on his apartment door once. She's talked with him a couple times and found out that he's transferring from another school to Karakura High in the middle of the year. She freaked out and insisted that he have dinner with her so she can tell him all about the school and catch him up on what we've been learning." The girl Mizuiro had called Tatsuki rolled her eyes.

"I told her there was no way she should be inviting some stranger to have dinner with her, but she insisted that 'he's really sweet once you look past the super-macho silent intimidation-ess.' She thinks that the reason he moved to her apartments is because it's right next to the Gemischt Quincy Academy, and if she just talks up our school to him for long enough he'll ignore that scout and stay with us." She said, shaking her head.

"Is that why you're picking up snacks for Orihime?" Mizuiro asked. Tatsuki nodded.

"I haven't met him yet, so I made Orihime promise to let me bring her some snacks as an excuse to meet him halfway through their evening. I can't believe she's spent so long with him, though. It's already way past dinner." Tatsuki said. Keigo let out a wail, causing his two friends to look at him.

"That stupid transfer student's gone and stolen Orihime from me! He's probably making out with her right no - OW!" Keigo was interrupted by Tatsuki smacking him.

"Orihime was never yours to begin with, and she's not making out with him! They're just talking about school, dumbass!" Tatasuki yelled before checking her volume.

Keigo continued to cry dramatically on the floor as the other two pretended like they didn't know him and finished picking out snacks.

"Well, if this mystery man is going to be going to our school, why don't Keigo and I stop by with you to say hi?" Mizuiro asked. Keigo shot up from the ground.

"Yes! Show him Orihime already has a man looking after her!" Keigo cried. Tatsuki hit him again.

"You aren't going to say anything to him! If you guys wanna come, that's fine, but you have to behave yourselves." She said with a pointed look at Keigo.

Having reached an agreement, the three paid for their snacks and left.

Ducking out of his classmates' way, Ichigo continued to mop and hide his face as he masked his coughing. Just because he worked hard didn't mean his classmates had to know, no matter how nice that would be. Someone might start to ask him questions he couldn't answer if they knew that he was working, and he couldn't have anyone meddling in his personal life. It only ever made things worse.

-x-

**Karakura Town - 7:30 pm**

A cool breeze wafted across the darkened streets of Karakura town as the moon glowed in the dark night sky. Freckled specks of light decorating the night briefly disappeared as a dark blur flashed into sight before quickly disappearing again. A second blur followed close behind as the pair silently made their way across town, unnoticeable to even the most alert agent of stealth.

Barely a whisper of wind was heard as the two blurs leaped across rooftops before coming to a stop at the edge of a park. Silently sliding down the side of the house, the two quickly disappeared into the trees. Not even the bushes gave hint of their movements as they made their way towards a certain spot. Once arriving, the two stopped.

"Are you sure it needs repairing?" A deep, masculine voice asked.

"Maa~ You wound my pride." The other said.

"I'm going to wound a lot more of you if you brought me out here for nothing." The first warned with a growl. A yelp from the second was heard as the first further affirmed their threat.

"Alright, alright. You can scratch me all you want if I am wrong, but can you please just undo the Kido already?" The second said, whining slightly.

"Why do I even put up with you…" The first muttered.

Muted chanting was heard right before a small flash of light briefly illuminated an object the size of an apple. A little bit of scuffling commenced as the second figure bent down and began fiddling with the device, occasionally muttering to himself.

"Well?" The first said as they paced around impatiently.

"I was right - it was damaged. But it doesn't appear to be intentional as I've already fixed it, so I think it's more than likely some child playing hide and seek had the misfortune of stumbling into it." The crouching figure replied.

"Or playing soccer."

Still crouching, he turned to his companion curiously to see them standing in front of a busted soccer ball. Taking a closer look at the ball, he picked it up to see that it had writing scrawled in sharpie on it. Grinning, he turned the ball for both of them to see.

"My my, it seems we know the owner of this here sensor-wrecker. I shall just have to return it to them." He said in a sing-song voice. The other snorted.

"Oh I'm sure they'll be glad to see you again so soon." They said.

"Maa~ Are you saying they don't enjoy my visits?" Whined the second.

"Two thirds of the time you visit them, it's to tell them someone is conspiring to kill them." Said the first.

Just as the other was about to argue that point, the sensor in his hand began beeping and whirring. Sharing a look, the two quickly reapplied the sensor to the ground, muttered another chant and sped off back over the rooftops of their town.

-xx-

**Kurosaki Godebert - Convenience Store Restroom**

1... 2... 3... breathe in...

1... 2... 3... breathe out...

Shaky breathes filled the small bathroom as Ichigo screwed his eyes shut and rocked himself slowly back and forth atop the toilet seat he was perched on. He was trying to slow his breathing down, but it wasn't really working.

Shallow breathes escaped him faster than he could suck them back in, making his chest heave quickly as his shaking hands clawed at his shoulders, raking down his upper arms over his sweatshirt hard enough to wear down the fabric where similar marks existed. He could feel his chest spasming slightly as his rapid breathing interfered with his usual slight coughing. His chest felt tight and like it was collapsing, but he paid it no mind as he opened his eyes again. They watered, but he wouldn't cry. He wouldn't cry, he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't cry, he'd never cry, they'd never make him cry again, he'd never cry for them again. They didn't deserve his tears. He'd already used them all up for the ones that did deserve them, and now he didn't have any left.

Terrible images assaulted him as he felt hands touching from everywhere, voices whispering all the terrible things they were going to do to him, and oh god the blood. He didn't know what was his or what wasn't, but he knew he was dying. Over and over and over again they'd kill him, each time a new way until there was nothing left. Each time he'd despair, and then he'd fight inside himself to be again, and he would. He'd be. He'd be him. He wouldn't be theirs' and he wouldn't let them do this to him again. And then they would. And he'd be so broken. And then they'd start all over again.

Ichigo let out a soundless sob. The hands were running over his body over and over again, they were everywhere and he wanted to vomit. He was being sliced, diced, dissected, bisected and he couldn't stop it, they wouldn't stop god why won't they stop.

He had to stop thinking, stop remembering but he couldn't. His glassy eyes could only see blood and death and  **them smiling at him,**  and his body could only feel those  **damned hands**  and horrible agony and their breath on his skin and oh god he wished he could stop. He didn't even know what had set it off anymore and he didn't care.

It was always something little, like a certain phrase or the way someone looks at him and oh is he gone, gone into his head of horrors. Back into a place where there's nothing but death and pain, and it goes on and on because he hops from the one specific memory that came loose to all of them.

Ichigo's hands were tearing at himself now, but he was too engrossed in his nightmare to notice. He needed to distract himself, but it was too late now to remember the relief he carried in his pocket, so instead he found his hands in his hair, beany knocked to the ground as he yanked and tore and scratched and gouged at the angry bees in his brain until something bled. He continued to rock and yank his hair, resisting the urge to start banging his head like he did when he was alone and it was really bad. He continued like this for what felt like forever.

Seconds ticked by and still he rocked, breathing heavy and eyes far away.

Slowly the physical pain grounded him, scalp burning and fingers red from his scratches. Bit by agonizing bit, his breathing slowed down and his chest loosened. Once his breathing was mostly normal and his memories were safely shoved back into the deepest part of him, Ichigo let his knees drop. Panic finally receding, he loosened his hold on his hair and slowly brought his hands down, small clumps of hair stuck to the blood and sweat on his hands.

Feeling a bit of blood creep down his forehead, Ichigo got up and looked in the dingy mirror above the sink. He wasn't bleeding too badly, but it was a bit obvious what he'd been doing to himself from his hair (or random lack of it in places).

Turning on the sink, Ichigo wet some paper towels and wiped away the blood in his hair and on his hands. He'd put his head in the sink, but that was far too similar to something he had experienced before and would bring him right back to where he'd just been. He could put his hands under the water though, so long as he focused on washing them. Ichigo looked away as he did just that, knowing the sight of his blood swirling down the drain would upset him.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo found his beany and put it on his head again to hide what he'd done to his hair. He hadn't slipped and hurt himself in that way in a long time. He let himself scratch at his arms since no one would see those marks, but ripping at his hair was pretty obvious, so he tried not to do it. That and he'd rather not go bald after he just turned 15.

Looking around, Ichigo found his mop and bucket by the toilet. He'd taken them in here on habit when he'd started panicking to make it look like he was in here cleaning instead of trying to calm himself down. If any of his coworkers discovered that he was freaking out like this, he'd end up fired.

_God, of all nights to freak out..._

After doing a hasty cleaning and quickly checking the paper towels and toilet paper, Ichigo slipped out of the bathroom to look at the time. He'd been in there for a good twenty minutes, fairly long for what he was used to. Ichigo just hoped that meant he wouldn't have any freak outs later.

Looking around, Ichigo sighed when he saw that Daimo was gone. If Daimo had been here, he surely would have noticed Ichigo's absence.

Ichigo suddenly tensed and turned around to see Kaiya a good ways behind him. Freezing mid-step, she schooled her shocked expression and crossed her arms.

"Never can sneak up on you, huh." She said. It was true. Ichigo had tried to convince himself that he wasn't doing what he thought he was doing, but it really was as if he could sense people. Kaiya had tried many times to scare him, but he always sensed where she was.

"No... Do you ne-" Ichigo was interrupted by Kaiya.

"Sure took your time cleaning that bathroom."

Ichigo sweated, but didn't let his fear show. He was unbelievably good at hiding his emotions.

"Yeah, looked like a warzone in there. I'd suggest giving it a couple minutes before going in." Ichigo said casually.

"Oh it did, did it?" Kaiya moved closer to Ichigo. She knew he hated people being too close to him. "'Cause I was the last one in there to restock the paper towels, and I don't recall anything being dirty in that bathroom." She said in a low voice, eyes narrowed. Ichigo mentally cursed.

"Somebody must have gone in when you didn't notice." Ichigo said quickly.

"No one's been in this store since before I went in there. We all would have heard the door jingle." Kaiya said. She took a step closer and Ichigo backed away.

"See, I've got this theory that you go in there so often to keep up with those delinquent activities that have you working here in the first place..." Kaiya leaned in to whisper to Ichigo. "It'd be awfully tragic if somebody were to mention to their beloved boss how terribly concerned they are about their dear coworker struggling with certain... substances."

Ichigo nearly choked. Was she blackmailing him?! Surely Daimo would have to have more evidence of him possibly using drugs than the word of just one employee? One employee he'd known for years and was liked by everyone...

"What do you want." Ichigo growled.

"Oh I don't want anything... much. Just a small favor, really. You see, I had a boyfriend who was real sweet, but then I found out that he went and cheated on me. Things turned sour real quick and he took some stuff of mine. I've been trying to get it back ever since, even went to his house to try and get it. Turns out he knew I'd come looking for my stuff and started keeping it at his stupid private school, the Gemischt Quincy Academy. I need you to break in there after your shift tonight and get my stuff back for me, or else the only thing you'll be addicted to is unemployment." Kaiya said. Ichigo blanched. He knew Kaiya was manipulative and sneaky, but he never took her to be  _this_  sort of person.

He'd had this job for three years, if he lost it now, Lena would  _kill him_. He needed this job as much as he needed food and water.

"Just what kind of stuff am I looking for?" Ichigo asked.

Kaiya gave him a smug smile.

-x-

**Sōgen Apartments**

"-And that's why I think even though Karakura High isn't a private school, it's still one of the best!" A girl with burnt orange hair finished.

Next to her sat Tatsuki and Mizuiro on one side and Keigo on the other. Across from her sat a rather large dark-skinned teenager with wavy brown hair nervously shifting in his seat. Tatsuki didn't blame him - she hadn't been here for the full speech, but she had an idea of how it had went.

"Um, sounds great..." The teenager said in a surprisingly deep voice. He hadn't said a single word since Orihime had started her speech other than to grunt or hum in response to whatever Orihime was saying. Tatsuki hadn't quite believed Orihime's description of him at first, but now she saw that he was indeed "super-macho silent intimidating." That was what was keeping Keigo from causing any trouble so far. He had actually looked a little ill when he first saw Orihime's new neighbor.

"..." Orihime fiddled with her hands, suddenly looking a little nervous.

"... It's okay if you still don't want to stay at Karakura High, Chad. I understand how great of an opportunity going to one of the private schools is - I was just at the Gemischt Quincy Academy today looking at their programs." Orihime said with a sad smile. Chad looked slightly panicked.

"Oh, um - please don't feel bad Orihime, you misunderstand. I don't have any reason to go to one of Karakura's private schools..." Chad explained uncomfortably. It was obvious that he wasn't used to having to talk this much.

"But I thought I saw one of their scouts go to your apartment." Orihime said. Chad shook his head.

"That was a school counselor dropping off some transfer forms." Chad said. Orihime turned beat red. She'd just spent all this time trying to convince her neighbor to go to a school he was already planning on going to!? Seeing Orihime's embarrassment, Chad tried to make her feel better.

"It was really nice of you to invite me over and tell me about everything - now I'll know what to expect in school." Chad said. Orihime brightened a little, but was still a little red. She really hoped Chad didn't think she was silly for going through all this - she knew all her schoolmates already thought she was a bit ditzy.

Tatsuki cleared her throat a little to diffuse some of the awkwardness.

"What programs were you checking out at the Academy today?" She asked. Orihime smiled at her, grateful for the change in subject.

"Oh, well I'd heard that they had a study group that met after school, but it turns out it's for academy members only. I was really hoping to get some help with my English from one of their professors - Mrs. Yamori keeps saying she'll help me, but she never does." Orihime said with a frown.

"Were there any programs that weren't exclusive to academy students?" Mizuiro asked. Orihime thought for a minute.

"The only thing I saw there was this weird flyer advertising special merchandise at some sort of convenience store. It said that it had special student discounts, but it looked like it had been torn down several times. It was actually stapled to the wall when I last saw it." Orihime said. Tatsuki pulled a face. That was certainly weird.

"Well that seems str - wait what happened to your hair?" Keigo asked suddenly. Orihime immediately felt her hair as Tatsukis smacked Keigo.

"What? What's wrong with my hair?" Orihime asked, patting at her head. Before anyone could answer, Orihime suddenly squeaked.

"My hairclip! One of my hairclips is missing!" Orihime said in a panicked voice. Keigo sniffed as he rubbed his shoulder.

"See - I wasn't being rude! I was just trying to help." He said with a pout.

"Oh no, I can't believe I lost them! I've never lost them before!" Orihime panicked. Patting the floor beside her and looking frantically around, Orihime got on her knees and started looking around the apartment.

"Don't worry Orihime, they've got to be here somewhere - I'm sure they just fell out." Mizuiro said as he knelt down to help Orihime search. Eventually they were all on their knees to help Orihime look. The longer they went without finding them, the more upset Orihime became.

"Are you sure you didn't take them off somewhere and forget?" Tatsuki asked. Orihime shook her head as she checked under the table for the thousandth time.

"No, and we've checked all over the apartment. I had them on after school and the only place I went today was- " Orihime paled.

"What is it?" Mizuiro asked.

"I-I went to the academy today... I accidentally ran into somebody and my hair got caught in this weird cross-thingy they were wearing. I didn't think anything of it then, but what if my hairpin came out because of it?" Orihime said. Orihime dropped her face into her hands and shook her head in worry.

"Don't worry Orihime, we'll get it back - it's not like the janitor's gonna accidentally sweep it up and throw it away." Keigo said.

"I hadn't even thought of that!" Orihime exclaimed before breaking down and crying. Tatsuki went to punch Keigo, but was stopped by Chad.

"I'm sure that won't happen, Orihime. Even if you can't find it, maybe you can just buy another one?" Chad asked. Orihime vigorously shook her head, crying harder.

"My brother gave those to me the day he died - I've worn them ever since." She said. Chad stopped restraining Tatsuki.

"Maybe somebody's still at the school and can let us in..." Mizuiro said.

"I don't think we're getting in unless we break in..." Orihime said miserably. Keigo shot up from where he'd been hiding from Tatsuki.

"Then break in we shall! I'll save your hairclip!" Keigo yelled dramatically before sprinting to the door.

"That's not a good -" Chad was interrupted by by Keigo dashing through the door. Sighing, Chad ran out the door with the other three shouting Keigo's name, but it was too late. Once outside, Keigo had already scrambled over the fence and was running towards the academy.

This was not how Chad imagined his evening going.

-xxx-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Ichigo slid down against the front of a freezer to sit on the floor. He'd finally finished stocking the entire thing. Technically he wasn't supposed to be doing that right now, but the new freezer had come in early, and he wanted a distraction from his newest problem. Said problem was staring at him now.

Kaiya looked like she was trying to burn holes into him with her eyes. She'd been watching him like that ever since the last hour of his shift.

_Probably making sure I don't try and escape._

Sighing, Ichigo looked at the clock and groaned. He only had five more minutes left until he had to go do something very illegal.

Despite what everyone thought, Ichigo had never broken the law before, at least not seriously. Sure he had jaywalked and trespassed when he thought no one would care, but he'd never broken into anywhere, especially a prestigious school.

_Why couldn't her ex just be a normal student going to a normal school?_

If it was a matter of breaking into Karakura High, Ichigo probably could have done it fairly easily, but Gemischt Quincy Academy was a private school. Apparently others had tried before to get into the school, but security was surprisingly tight. That and the teachers were scary accurate and finding those that weren't meant to be there.

Glancing at the clock again, Ichigo winced. He couldn't delay it anymore.

"I'll see you tomorrow Kaiya..." Ichigo said as he passed the cash register.

He would need to be quick to get in and out unnoticed, but at least nobody else was going to the school.

-x-

**Gemischt Quincy Academy**

Dim lights flickered eerily in the corridor, empty halls silent.

This part of the school was usually empty at this time of night, but if you had the mind to listen closely, you could hear shallow breathing coming from one of the darkened classrooms beneath the teacher's desk.

Ears straining to hear movement and eyes wide open in fear, the woman beneath her desk desperately fumbled around with a strange small device, hands shaking. Pressing the small device like a sticker onto the small hollow right behind her ear and jaw, she started whispering into it.

"This is Mrs. Baar, requesting help and the immediate evacuation of -" A skittering noise cut her off. Words caught in her throat, Mrs. Baar at least had the good sense to cover her mouth to mask her breathing and slowly reach into her pocket. Pulling out a strange cross, she held it directly in front of her and gripped it tight enough to leave marks.

 _Not yet not yet not yet not yet._  Something scratching against tile made her jump.

 _Not yet not yet not yet not yet. Not yet?_ Heavy silence made her heart beat loud in her ears.

Was it gone? It had to still be there - just because she couldn't sense it didn't mean it wasn't there.

Something knocked into the wastebasket with a metallic ping. She clamped her hand over her mouth - it was looking for her.

Something skittered to her left, then back to her right. If she ran now, it would just run her down and kill her. Speed wasn't even her class subject - history was.

Listening intently, Mrs. Baar considered her options. Running was certain death, but staying didn't seem any better. She could try and warn the school again, but that would alert the creature to where she was. So far, it didn't seem to know where she was as it hadn't killed her yet. Alerting it would be a truly terrible idea, so maybe she could try and take it by surprise?

"Mrs. Baar?"

Mrs. Baar felt cold sweat run down her back as she heard the voice call out from the doorway. Oh god, it was a student. What was a student doing here so late at night?! She was only here this late because she'd forgotten something in her class.

She had to do something, and  _now._

Rushing out from under her desk ready to defend the student, Mrs. Baar didn't find anyone.

But something had found her.

-xxxx-

**Ichigo Godebert - Gemischt Quincy Academy**

This wasn't even the most dangerous thing Ichigo had done, but that wasn't saying much considering some of the experiences he'd had. Even so, his task was more than a little daunting.

Crouching at the edge of the academy fence, Ichigo checked that none of his hair peeked out from beneath his beany. His hair was a dead give-away if anyone saw him, and he could  _not_  get caught.

Something like breaking into a private school would definitely go down on his permanent record and solidify his reputation as a delinquent, getting him fired and consequently screwed. That was why he was so unbelievably glad that he was already wearing dark colors and had practice from years of trying to make himself small and unnoticeable.

Feeling his way along the fence, Ichigo made sure to hide himself in the already deep shadows of the night as he searched for any openings or angles to climb over the fence. Supposedly the fence was electrical, but Ichigo had already been touching the fence and found nothing wrong with it.

Shifting in the darkness, Ichigo slithered along the outskirts of the fence, peering at the school as he did so. For a moment he thought he saw movement over by the apartment complexes, but it was gone when he blinked. Nevertheless, it put him on edge and made him extra cautious. He tried his best to stop himself from coughing just in case anybody came along.

Ichigo pulled back his hand suddenly as he felt the fence become rough and sharp. Gingerly feeling along, he found that the fence had been torn and bent apart like something had ripped it's way in. Frowning, Ichigo moved further and saw something glittering in the dark. Taking a closer look, Ichigo was glad that he was used to having to see in darkness.

Part of an electrical box had been torn apart and lay next to the fence, wires sticking out and metal glinting in the moonlight. One of the wires led Ichigo to a part of the fence where it had once been attached.

_So this thing was electrical..._

Why wasn't it now? Who had torn it like this? Was someone else trying to get into the school?

Ichigo shook his head. As much as this worried him, he was running out of time to get in and take Kaiya's stuff. He didn't have any time to go tomorrow (which would be even worse considering the school would be full), and Kaiya had insisted she get her things back by tomorrow. He'd just have to hope he wouldn't run into whoever had gotten through this fence. Or more accurately "what" from the looks of the tearing...

Slipping through the jagged hole, Ichigo quickly looked around before sprinting to the school. Running his hands along each window that he came across, Ichigo fervently hoped that somebody had left at least one of them open. He couldn't very well go through the front as it was probably locked, but he didn't want to smash any windows in either.

It took him a good eight minutes before he finally found something. One of the windows had been pried open from the outside, old fashioned window crank snapped from the exertion of forcing the window open. How the hell did somebody manage to do this - this window looked like it had been locked. Even Ichigo wasn't quite  _that_  strong... It was almost as if something inhuman had opened this... Something like...

Ichigo shook his head. He was being paranoid. It wasn't real and he knew it. Those things weren't real and he'd never been though that. Somebody had probably gotten a crowbar or something, that was why the window was like this.

Climbing through the window, Ichigo let himself silently drop to the ground. Looking around, Ichigo found a strand of burnt orange hair hanging from the window, like somebody had gotten caught halfway through. Ichigo sighed in relief. So it was a person that had opened this window. Why else was this here? He should probably be worried about the fact that somebody else was in the school, but Ichigo didn't really care. He knew he should, but he'd picked up a strange habit of ignoring self-preservation. He tended to push his luck a lot more than was good for his health. A small part of him realized that his strong instincts were the only thing making sure he wasn't dead yet...

Moving around desks, Ichigo opened the classroom door to peek around. Seeing no one, Ichigo slipped out of the classroom into the dimly lit hallway. He was looking for locker 37 on the first floor...

Checking the lockers in front of him, Ichigo followed the numbers past closed doors until he finally found the right one. Taking out a paperclip, Ichigo gave a silent prayer that this trick would actually work. He'd never picked locks before, but he heard this was the way to do it.

Fiddling around with the lock, Ichigo nearly missed the creak of a door opening in the distance. He did however, miss the dark blur that disappeared around a corner. Whirling around, Ichigo saw a classroom door open a good ways away from him. What if it was the other B and E - or worse, a teacher?!

Ichigo frantically jammed the paperclip into the lock, wiggling it around until he finally heard it click. It wasn't opening all the way since he hadn't done it quite right, but that was good enough. He ripped the lock off and swung the locker open, locating a dark blue bag amongst some textbooks.  _Bingo._

Snatching it, Ichigo turned to get the hell out of dodge, but froze when he heard a shrill scream. Whoever had screamed sounded terrified.

He had the stuff he needed, he could just leave now... But what if someone was in real trouble? What if whoever else had broken into the school had come here to do something far more sinister than just steal a bag? Ichigo stood stiff in indecision. If he tried to help there was a good chance that he'd be recognized and caught, but if he left, then there was the potential that somebody would get seriously hurt, or worse.

Ichigo's mind was made up for him when he heard another bone-chilling scream, this time louder and edged with pain.

Looping the bag's handle over his shoulder, Ichigo ran off in the direction of the scream, past the open door and around a corner into a completely dark hallway. Slowing down to make sure he didn't run into anything, Ichigo felt glass crunching beneath his feet and realized the lights in this hallway had been blown out. A different scream made Ichigo forget caution as he reached the end of the hallway, nearly running into a rather large teenager barreling past him.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Ichigo called, but was ignored. Growling, Ichigo ran after through another dark hallway, crunching on glass and straining to see. All he could hear was frantic screaming, yelling and crashing.

Skidding into a brighter hallway, Ichigo nearly screamed himself. Blood smeared the walls and floor, bloody drag marks leading into a classroom near the end of the hall where all the screaming was coming from. Oh god, this felt so familiar... He felt so sick and stiff, trapped in a twisted deja vu.

Ichigo forced himself to start breathing again, adrenaline kicking in.

Legs finally working again, he bolted towards the classroom, barely stopping in time as someone was flung out of the classroom to crash into the wall. Ichigo had no time to check if they were okay as he finally saw what was in the classroom.

Dark twisted limbs too long for it's own body, skeletal spine skewed impossibly to the right, the _thing_  that crouched inches from him stained in blood was stalking a girl and one of the boys Ichigo had seen at the convenience store.

Ichigo felt like time had slowed, frozen in terrible recognition. Cold familiarity crept up with his rising horror and he found he couldn't move or even scream. Oh how familiar... Everything had become so slow and muted, making Ichigo forget that he'd come here to help. His chest felt unbelievably tight as he struggled to breathe.

Blood pounding in his ears, Ichigo nearly missed a fourth figure moving from the shadows to attack the prowling creature, but he knew it wouldn't work. He watched from behind glass as the girl swung a chair at it's head, briefly making contact before it dodged, letting loose a warbled human scream that was piercing even through his shock. The sheer volume of it's scream made everyone but Ichigo cover their ears as it finally noticed him, shooting towards him to sink it's teeth in his shoulder and throw him into the hallway.

Ichigo didn't get a chance to scream as he crashed to the ground with the creature savagely digging into his flesh. The two girls and boy rushed out of the classroom in slow motion to scream as they saw the creature unlatch it's jaw from Ichigo to pull back and raise it's arm to strike. Ichigo's heart beat loudly as time stopped and for a moment the aching in his chest outranked the terror of certain death.

He watched as the creature's arm swung slowly down at him, bloody claws glinting wickedly.

He felt something in him break and he shuddered, the oppressive tightness releasing into a scream that tore itself up from his chest to his throat out his open mouth, drowning out the creature above him as the dim lights wildly flickered. One by one the lights burst throughout the hallway, unseen force rippling like a shockwave to throw the creature back from Ichigo to crash into the end of the hallway with a sickening crack.

Ichigo continued to scream as the others around him collapsed and the world went dark.

.

.

.

-x-

**Karakura Town**

Beeping and whirring filled the small room as a man with a green and white striped bucket hat moved around, quickly checking the various machines outputting information.

"My, my my..." He muttered to himself in a deceptively calm voice.

While he was calmly and efficiently checking his instruments, on the inside it was a whirlwind of excitement and curiosity. Rarely had his machines been thrown into such a tizzy before, and he was loving it. He'd been waiting a long time to get reactions and recordings like this, so he was hoping that whatever was happening would continue to happen so he could get some proper readings.

The other figure in the room watched from a distance in a dark corner as the scientist conducted scientific readings and functions in a flurry of motion and computing. Watching him work, the other couldn't help but smile a little. They knew very well just how excited their friend was and that this was the most fun he'd had in weeks. It almost made them forget that a potentially massive disaster was under way.

Snatching a piece of paper that just finished printing from one of the machines, the scientists eyes glinted as he hid a dark smile with a fan.

"It seems like we finally have a location..." He said.

The other perked up. A location? For all the man's prowess and scientific genius, he hadn't ever been able to get a location of the events that he'd been chasing after for so long.

"Do you think we'll actually find the source?" They asked. The other shook his head sadly, but nonetheless looked absolutely delighted.

"Maa~ I'm flattered, but even my abilities won't lead us directly to the source, especially considering the amount of special souls in the area. We will however, be finally taking the first step to finding it; narrowing down suspects." The man said. The other was shocked. No progress for years, and suddenly they're on the way to closing in on the source?

"You said the area was full of special souls, what is the location?" They asked.

"The Gemischt Quincy Academy." The man said. The other stiffened. They could guess what their part was going to be in this, that manipulative bastard.

"Oh no, don't think I can just waltz in there because I have an official status - those quincies already suspect I have some less than honorable dealings." They said.

"Maaaaa~ You don't think I'm honorable?" The man pouted with a whine. The other snorted and resisted the urge to scratch him.

"I doubt an exiled and highly wanted criminal could be considered honorable." They said. The man sniffed in mock hurt and continued.

"While I have no doubt the quincies are suspicious of such an auspicious shinigami instructor, I doubt they'll look twice at this form..." The man said. The other growled slightly. He was right of course, but that didn't make it any better.

"You owe me..." The other said before slipping silently out of the room.

"Always..." The man said with a mischievous smile.

* * *

 **Echt**  - pure

 **Gemischt**  - mixed

 **Lichtreich**  - light empire

 **Schutzstaffel**  - protective echelon

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health I tried to put links in for everything, but I don't think I'm allowed to put links in since they always get deleted...  
\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you can already sort of see how this version of the world differs from the first and find it intriguing, 'cause I've always wondered what Bleach would be like if the Soul Society took more interest in the World of the Living and decided not to wipe out the quincies (spoiler if you didn't recognize that change from the existence of Quincy schools and large family clans). I'm still going to give some hints in future chapters about why this world is the way it is and how.
> 
> You can probably tell already that Ichigo lives a pretty tough life, and that's due in large part to not being born to Isshin and Masaki with two little sisters. Instead he's left with Lena, who you can already guess is a toxic parent. He obviously has serious issues from something that happened to him in the past, and unfortunately deals with these issues in an unhealthy way (hurting himself).
> 
> The next chapter will show the kind of relationship Ichigo has with his mother and a lot more about Ichigo's life and what he has to deal with.
> 
> So as I've said in the previous notes, this story takes place after some mysterious event takes our favorite cast of characters from sitting around with their families at the end of the Bleach manga to being teenagers again living in a vastly different version of their world. Spoiler alert, the "mysterious event" is pretty horrible, so strap in. I've got a sort of prequel in the works explaining what happened and filling in all the different plot holes left by the ending of Bleach with what I do best; gratuitous amounts of pain and death. From there the story has a couple of different options as far as resolutions and will lead to this story and maybe a few others. I still have to find out if anybody's even interested in this one.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you guys think about this hot mess and any ideas about what's going on mystery-wise. What is this creature, and why does Ichigo recognize it? If Ichigo's parents aren't Masaki and Isshin, then why is he basically still the same soul and person? Does he have the same powers? What's happened to Ichigo to leave him so guarded and clearly haunted and why does he think it isn't real?


	2. Chapter 1: Tipping Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note, chapter titles aren't super thought about or secret hints, so don't think about them too much. I'm pretty bad at coming up with titles of any sort.  
> This chapter is pretty lacking in action, but it doesn't have a lot of dialogue either. This story has kind of a slow build up, so I don't think it will be until Chapter 2 or 3 that things really pick up and get wild. As for this chapter, it's mostly going to give you a better idea of what Ichigo's life has been like and how others view him. Also, it's hella sad and depressing, so be advised.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

 

_Inner thoughts/speech_

**Chapter 1: Tipping Point**

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

_Blood smeared the walls and floor, bloody drag marks leading into a classroom near the end of the hall where all the screaming was coming from._ _He felt so sick and stiff, trapped in a twisted deja vu._

_Legs finally working again, he bolted towards the classroom, barely stopping in time as someone was flung out of the classroom to crash into the wall._

_Dark twisted limbs too long for it's own body, skeletal spine skewed impossibly to the right, the thing crouched inches from him stained in blood._ _Time had slowed, frozen in terrible recognition._

 _Cold familiarity crept up with his rising horror and he found he couldn't move or even scream._ _His chest felt unbelievably tight as he struggled to breathe. Everything was so slow._

 _It let loose a warbled human scream._ _It shot towards him to sink it's teeth in his shoulder and throw him into the hallway._ _He couldn't scream as he crashed to the ground with the creature savagely digging into his flesh._

_He watched as the creature's arm swung slowly down at him, bloody claws glinting wickedly._

"ICHIGO!"

Ichigo broke out of his silent reverie just in time to feel his head slammed down into the table. Ichigo resisted the urge to move as he let the hand gripping his head grind his face into the table painfully. He had to stay still or risk this lasting longer, making him even later for his morning shift.

"I told you to pick your shit up - so what the fuck is this!?" Lena screamed, words slightly slurred. Yanking his head up to face her, Ichigo winced at her breath. She'd been drinking again. Ichigo swallowed nervously.

"I'm sorry Lena, I had to work late last night an-" Ichigo was interrupted by Lena slapping him across the face hard enough to almost knock him off the table. Ichigo clung to the table and tried not to react. Crying made her scream at him, and trying to soothe his injuries made her add more.

"I don' wanna hear it from you today, I work hard to make this  **rattennest**  a  _livable_  place and YOu *hic* waltz in here an- and plop yur lazy ass down and fukin' RUIN everything, you worthless *hic* piece of shIT." Lena said as she wobbled a little. Ichigo stayed in the same position he was in and tried to ignore the burning pain in his cheek. He tried to look at her without making eye contact to see just how bad she was.

She was breathing heavily and glaring at him, but she wasn't as bad as he'd seen her before. Right now she was too drunk to do too much damage.

Lena slammed her hands on the table, making Ichigo flinch.

"I gave you everything, and all you do is whine and complain..." She said. Ichigo just swallowed and tried to stop shaking.

"See?! You just said it!" She screamed at Ichigo who hadn't said anything. Lena suddenly darted her hand out to grab Ichigo's face, still red from where she'd slapped him.

"You think I'm not doing enough, that I'm not good enough for you, undankbares gör ?!" Lena was spitting into Ichigo's face now. Her breath smelled just like the rest of their apartment; alcohol and smoke (minus the cat piss).

"No,  _bitte_ , I never said -" Ichigo immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing when Lena's eyes flashed.

"Du denkst ich höre dich nicht?  _You think I don't hear you?!_  You're saying it right now - there! Right there!" Lena said. She was jabbing her finger so close to Ichigo's face he was beginning to fear that she'd poke his eye out or something. She was forcing his terrified eyes to meet her bloodshot ones now.

"All you do is complain and sit there and daydream while I bust my ass for you!" Lena screamed. Ichigo knew he shouldn't have let himself slip into the past events at the Gemischt Quincy Academy last night when he was in the middle of getting ready for work. He couldn't help it though, like all his unpleasant memories, they forced themselves to the front of his mind without his consent, forcing him to relive those terrible things. He hadn't even bothered to try and sleep when he stumbled home, bruised and bleeding. He'd just sat there and tried to forget while he tended to his wound. So many terrible memories had been brought back to him by that encounter, and it had left him a mess. He'd barely managed to hide his shoulder from Lena when she came home from the bar.

If only Lena had stayed passed out, but he was never that lucky. Now he was having to deal with her when she was hysterical. Ichigo knew that she had issues, but he wasn't sure if they were caused or aggravated by her excessive drinking. He personally thought it was both.

She'd get unbelievably worked up, paranoid, and angry, taking it out on Ichigo for whatever she felt he'd done that day. She was convinced that he was saying things about her, talking behind her back and complaining. This coupled with her mood swings made her unpredictable.

"Why do you have to say such terrible things...?" Lena sobbed, letting go to sink into the chair beside him. Ichigo immediately felt terrible for making her like this. It was his fault that she did this to herself, it had to have been. She'd never shied away from telling him what her life would have been like if she didn't have the burden of having him, but she'd never told him what things had been like before him.

A long time ago, when he was cleaning her room, he found an old box filled with mementos and an old uniform with ornamental crosses on it. He saw his mother laughing and smiling in the pictures, out with her friends or hanging about her family. Medals, expensive jewelry and ornate books occupied the box, showing Ichigo just how wealthy his mother had been before her family had basically exiled her. Supposedly she'd fallen in with the wrong crowd when she was younger despite their being just as wealthy and respectable as her own family. They set her up with someone in order to gain something Lena refused to tell him about, and Ichigo had been the result.

Once Ichigo had been born, his father had immediately left them. Lena told him how when he saw him in her arms, he'd turned his head away and walked out of her house, leaving them to disappear to god knows where. After that things got kind of confusing. Lena would ramble on about how he was just a surrogate for the real thing, a means to an end for power that he was too weak to take hold of. She always referred to him in german insults, calling him things associated with death and reaping. The only name Ichigo could ever get out of her was "Yhwach." That's what she said his father's name was ("your  _real_  father, THE father"). Ichigo had tried to find him based on that name, but he didn't find anything, just biblical stuff and fairy tales.

At that point Ichigo was pretty sure that Lena had somehow gotten mixed up in a cult of sorts. Her parents never knew about the involvement of her friends, and erased her from their life and everyone else's, leaving her alone with her child. When she tried to go back to her friends, they refused her because of Ichigo. He'd ruined her life and he hadn't even learned to talk yet.

It had taken years to learn all this through her ramblings and contradictions, but once he'd put it all together, Ichigo understood. If it wasn't for him, she'd have everything. Friends, family, money, status. But he'd ruined it for her. She said that she'd always wanted a little boy of her own, but instead she got him. He'd stolen her little boy from her, and now she'd never have him.

A small part of him recognized that it wasn't exactly right to think about things like that, but a much larger part of himself believed every word she told him. He tried so hard to make her happy, to do what she wanted and needed, but he never got it right. He wanted to protect her from the terrible life he'd given her, but she just sank deeper and deeper.

She'd come home wasted and upset, barely able to walk or function and there he'd be. Useless and unable to live without her. Some nights the only thing he could do for her was to help her into bed and tell her happy lies about all the things he would do to try and help her to lull her to sleep. He wanted to do that now, wanted to comfort her.

"Das tut mir leid... I know you work hard, you work so hard for me, and I'm grateful - really, I am." Ichigo croaked pathetically. He scooted closer and gently put an arm around his mother, testing to make sure she wouldn't try and hit him again. Too distracted with her own sobbing, Lena let him.

"I know you deserve better, so I'll try my best - I'll clean up and make dinner and help you with whatever you want, just please don't blame yourself, it's my fault mom-" Ichigo's control slipped and he cried out when Lena shoved him to the floor.

"Mom?! MOM?!" Lena screamed, eyes wide and arms shaking. Ichigo wanted to throw up - he wasn't allowed to call her that.

"YOU ARE NOT MY SON! GET OUT!" Lena screeched at the top of her lungs before devolving into incomprehensible German. Ichigo grabbed his things and ran out of the door as fast as he could, refusing to cry but unable to stop the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

It was useless to try and help her. He just wasn't enough. She was better off without him.

-x-

**Kaiya - Convenience Store**

Well this was boring.

Kaiya sighed and played with her keys at the cash register absent-mindedly. She was waiting for Ichigo to show up so she could get her stuff back, but as usual, he wasn't here yet. Kaiya made a point of coming in earlier than she was supposed to to accentuate just how late Ichigo was. It didn't matter that he was only ever five or so minutes late, it was enough for her to latch onto and complain to Daimo about.

God did she want his job. It wasn't fair that a stupid delinquent like him had a job here - this was a respectable establishment! Good, honest people came here to work and earn a living, and she was one of them. Sure, she was the same age as him, but at least she knew how to schedule her shifts. Hers ended right before school started, so she had plenty of time to go to Shin'ō Outreach unlike Ichigo who's shift ran into the beginning of school. Punks like him didn't care about school, so it was no wonder.

Kaiya sniffed. This was why she'd been approached by Shin'ō Outreach and not him. They had told her that she had promise, that they would be honored if she attended their school and special programs. She had been ecstatic when they had contacted her, but then she found out that one of her programs collided with her evening shift. If she could have just gotten Ichigo's job, she would be able to choose whatever hours she wanted to work (Ichigo couldn't because he'd have to send forms to the higher-ups who'd inevitably look at his work records). Why did he even work here? Did he really need a job if he was just gonna end up some drug dealer or gangster anyways?

She'd tried to be friendly with him and find out if he couldn't just take another job, but he'd gotten all weird and defensive. She'd tried to ignore all the rumors about him, but seeing him in person seemed to confirm them more than anything.

Every time she tried to talk to him, he'd just mumble and nod or straight up ignore her. Sometimes it was like he wasn't even there, eyes glazed over as he seemingly spaced out for no reason. For a while she had wondered if he was on something, but it was completely random, and he didn't really seem to have any drug-like symptoms. At least that's what she thought... He just seemed really distracted to her, but that wasn't all that strange to her considering how weird he was in general.

Besides randomly spacing out, Ichigo never looked people in the eye or let them into his personal space. He always moved away when somebody tried to move closer, he was jumpy and skittish, and sometimes he flinched for no reason. He also reeked of smoke and had a weird cough he just couldn't seem to shake. He kept his head down and never tried to make friends with anyone, rarely speaking to anyone or participating in birthdays or holidays in the break room. It was clear that he was only here for the money, nothing else. Did he really think they were so unworth his time?

He was always so dismal and tired looking, and it made him seem shifty. It was scaring off customers and making it harder for them to work. He'd actually growled at people before. At this point, Kaiya almost felt it was fair to blame him the way they did. He was such an off-putting person, all he had to do was at least pretend to be nice to them like any other normal person.

Kaiya turned as she hear the telltale jingle of someone entering the store.

_Well speak of the devil..._

Ichigo walked into the store like he always did, panting and mildly disheveled. Taking a moment to catch his breath and cough a little, Ichigo walked jerkily up to Kaiya, red bag held out to her. Kaiya grinned.

"Well now, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" She said, snatching her bag from his hand. Ichigo's face twisted for a moment, but immediately shifted back to his usual scowl.

"What did you even need in there that warranted me breaking into a school?" Ichigo asked stiffly. Kaiya rolled her eyes.

"Like you haven't broken into other places. It shouldn't matter to you since you're not the one who got caught in the academy." Kaiya said.

When she'd first heard about the break in, she'd gotten worried that Ichigo had been caught and her stuff would be confiscated, but then it turned out he wasn't even in the school when police arrived. Rumor was that a group of students had chased their friend into the school after he had decided to go looking for a lost hair clip where they found the corpse of a teacher who'd been killed. No one knew who the killer was or what else had happened since the incident was so recent. The only thing known for sure was that the students were alright and the police were working on it.

"Someone else was caught there?" Ichigo asked in surprise. It seemed a little fake to Kaiya, but he didn't have the connections that she did, so it made sense that he wouldn't know.

"Yeah, a group of students looking for a lost hair pin found a dead teacher in the school and flipped out, but other than that they were fine." Kaiya said. Ichigo looked confused.

"They were fine? None of them were injured?" He asked. Kaiya frowned at him.

"No, weirdo." Kaiya said. An unreadable expression flashed across Ichigo's face before he scowled again.

"Lemme guess; they didn't find the killer." Ichigo said quietly. Kaiya frowned again.

"No..." Kaiya said. That was odd, Ichigo actually looked a little upset. Well, it would be weirder if he didn't, and maybe he was a little shaken after finding out there'd been a killer in the same place as him.

"Guess I'll have to be careful walking home at night... You should watch out too, Kaiya. Your evening shift ends around the same time mine does, so please be careful when you leave." Ichigo said suddenly in a serious voice as he looked directly into her eyes.

"O-oh, uh, yeah, I will. You be careful too..." Kaiya said. Sheesh, intense. She wouldn't have figured that Ichigo would worry about her like that, but then again, this was the longest conversation she'd ever had with the guy. Ichigo nodded, seemingly satisfied and left to go get his cleaning supplies, coughing weakly as he left. That was certainly strange, but it wasn't all that bad either.

Either way, she wasn't changing her mind now - sympathy would only ruin what she'd carefully put in place.

-xx-

**Ichigo Godebert - Convenience Store**

Oh thank god, they were okay. He wasn't sure just how bad their injuries were since he'd had to cut and run so soon.

Ichigo had no idea how long he'd been out for, but when he woke up, he could hear police sirens in the distance and an alarm ringing in the school to warn those in the dorms to stay inside. All of the other teenagers were still unconscious, but the larger one looked like he was starting to wake up. Ichigo had tried to check them for injuries, but the sound of footsteps coming down the hall had made him pause. He could tell that none of them were in immediate danger from their injuries, so he decided to leave. The paramedics would do a far better job of taking care of them than him.

He'd left the school right as the police arrived, cradling his no longer bleeding shoulder in the bushes. Lucky for him, his sweatshirt had soaked up most of the blood, so whatever was left would end up mixed with the other blood even if they did have the mind to try and check for a third party's DNA. Even so, he'd expected some sort of testing to be done, so he made sure no one saw him as he stumbled back home in the night. If he hadn't been used to having to ignore injuries and fight with them, he might never have made the long journey home. He'd been so tempted to let go of his shoulder and lay down... let sleep take him... No more of this struggling... But he had to take care of his mother, right? She depended on him...

Even if he didn't want to keep going, he did. He always did and it was so tiring. He wished he could sleep all day, but real sleep never came to him. Only nightmares and the impossible place. For that he was almost grateful, if he actually was able to sleep, it would be so irresistible for him to just stay in his room all day sleeping. Man that sounded nice... No worries, no cares. No school, no fights, no stares, no whispers, no work, no Lena, no pain... But that would never happen. He'd been through too much to give up now. Except he hadn't... The place he was trapped in in his dreams wasn't real, and Lena had told him over and over again that he'd always been here in the real world. They'd all thought he was lying when he told them about the monsters he'd seen and the things those awful people had done to him, and eventually he realized they must have been right.

Now when he saw things out and about similar to his nightmares, he ignored them. Or at least he tried, he always seemed to see things that others didn't no matter where he was. He could handle the odd man standing on air, child with a chain on their chest, or strange monster prowling around, because they weren't anything compared to his nightmares. He could pretend he was normal even in those times and convince himself that there wasn't anything wrong with him. Of course he had wondered if he had some sort of disorder or mental illness, but every time he did it just made him feel worse. He'd heard horror stories about the places people who saw and heard things that weren't there went to. Or the things they did because of it. He'd consoled himself in the fact that he didn't hear voices telling him to do things, but even if he did, what could be done about it? He couldn't possibly tell anyone about it, and he couldn't afford to get help on his own. So he didn't think about it. Until now.

What he'd seen last night had felt so real, and it was straight out of his nightmares. He'd felt it's teeth in his shoulder, bore the marks from it and had seen it tearing apart those teenagers. He didn't know what he wanted more; for it to be real so that he wasn't crazy, or for it to be fake and him be crazy so such terrible things didn't exist. Both were pretty horrible, but he at least knew what he was going to do if he really was crazy. Nothing. He couldn't, and yeah it scared the hell out of him, but he didn't know what to do. It made him all kinds of nervous and sick, but it was useless. He felt so helpless.

Ichigo rubbed his face.  _Why me? Why do I have to go through this? I just wish this would all stop..._

God he was tired, and his shoulder ached. He'd already checked it to make sure it wasn't infected, but he knew it would take a while to heal. He'd been tending to his own injuries for so long that he actually had some pretty decent medical skills. That and he'd made sure to read up about how to properly take care of wounds on your own since he couldn't ever go to the hospital. The few times that he did had been awful, he'd spent the entire time lying to everyone before sneaking out.

The bite on his shoulder couldn't be fake, so when he'd been trying to figure out if everything that had happened was real, he'd considered the possibility that he'd hallucinated the whole monster thing and really been bitten by a guard dog. That was the most logical thing to him.

Ichigo shook his head, dislodging all the thoughts swirling around. It wasn't any good to think about it now. That would wait until he got to school to see if those teenagers were actually alright. They were the only other ones there, so they'd surely remember him and trust him with their story when they saw him. If what he saw wasn't real, then they could at least explain to him what had really happened and who had hurt them. For now he'd need to work.

Checking the clock, Ichigo was very glad that Daimo wasn't here and Kaiya was the only one who'd seen him come in late today. He still couldn't believe she'd blackmailed him. Did she really hate him that much? I mean, sure he wasn't exactly friendly to other people, but it was all he could do to not freak out while they were around. He'd tried to be nice to Kaiya when she started working here, he really had, but she just didn't like him. None of them did here.

Ichigo picked up his mop to start cleaning again. He got that he was pretty distant, but he always tried to be polite and not cause them any problems. He'd even stopped growling at those punks that came in here to try and buy alcohol. Sure, he was pretty scowly and serious looking, but he didn't have time to be anything else. He had to be responsible and mature, hard working and trustworthy. He didn't have time to celebrate holidays and birthdays with the rest of them, and besides, he didn't really feel welcome doing that. He'd probably just dampen the mood.

Ichigo glanced up at Kaiya. She was texting on her phone at the cash register while he cleaned up around the store. Kaiya and the others just wouldn't understand that this job was his living. He literally worked to eat. If he could, he'd make them pay him in food instead of cash. That might actually make things worse though.

Lena drank far too much to hold a steady job, so she mostly just floated around her favorite haunts taking odd jobs now and again. Ichigo was really the only steady source of income, and Lena reminded him of that constantly. He had to work hard, he was responsible for them. Every night he'd come home and hide money in his two stashes; one for rent and one for food. The rest Lena would snatch from him and carefully count, making absolutely sure that it was the right amount he told her he got. He'd of course lied to her about what he got paid so that she wouldn't notice him squirreling away money to pay for their dump of an apartment, and she wasn't exactly coherent enough to figure out that he was paying rent without taking money from her, so it worked. As much as he wanted his food money to be in the safest place in the apartment, that place was reserved for rent. Lena had found his stashes before and would immediately take all the money and punish him for hiding it, so he couldn't risk her finding that stash and drinking away the rent. Besides, it was normal for him to skip meals. And it made sure that he rarely had to get new uniforms since he was only growing up instead of out (yeah it looked a little weird to have shorter sleeves and pants, but he hadn't gotten to that stage yet).

He honestly didn't notice when he was hungry anymore, but he wasn't really sure if that was good or bad. He figured so long as he ate at some point, it was alright. It didn't really matter to him that he was so thin anymore, he'd learned a long time ago how to fight without muscle or strength, so he wasn't lacking in the fighting department. It just made heavy lifting at work a little difficult... like right now.

Ichigo needed to clean every inch of the floor if Daimo was to be satisfied, but there was one spot where he had to move a large ice cream cooler to get to. It had a bad habit of leaking, so he had to clean up underneath every single day by dragging the stupid thing out from its corner while he cleaned.

While he was trying to figure out the best angle to start dragging it out, Daimo walked in and looked around the store as the jingle went off. Setting eyes on him, Daimo walked to him, arms crossed. Ichigo swallowed, he didn't look very happy.

"Uh, hello Daimo... Any errands you need me to run today?" Ichigo asked with a small cough, wiping his hands on his pants. Daimo shook his head and gave him a hard look.

"You and I need to talk. Come with me into my office." Daimo said before walking to the back of the store. Ichigo followed close behind, stomach twisting when he saw Kaiya smile at him.

Daimo opened the door and motioned for Ichigo to sit in the chair across from his desk in the small room. Ichigo nervously sat down as Daimo closed the door and took his seat.

"Ichigo, I have thought long and hard about this, and I'm sorry to say that I no longer find you to be a valuable employee. I have given you so many chances to prove yourself, and yet you consistently fail me." Daimo said. Ichigo paled. No, this couldn't be happening...

"You arrive late to work every day despite my constant warnings and all your promises. My employees complain about you all the time and your abysmal attitude - even I find your lack of energy and friendliness off-putting." Daimo shook his head. "You don't even bother to smile at customers."

Ichigo's breathing became shallow. No, no, no no no no  _no_. He'd done what Kaiya wanted, he'd made it to work today, he'd done so much to stay here.

"B-but, I always clean just the way you want and stock exactly how you tell me to - I make sure this store is neat and spotless! I run blocks to get you coffee and snacks and anything else you need - I drop off your paperwork and take calls for you when you're out." Ichigo stuttered. His heart was racing and he was shaking.

"Ichigo, you're late every day -" Daimo was interrupted by Ichigo's frantic stammering.

"But I work hard! I live all the way across Karakura town and I don't have a car so I have to run all the way here - that's why I'm late! I'm not even the only one! Yumi's gotten here way later than me loads of times! Juba calls in sick every single Friday an - and," Ichigo's words dried up in his throat as Daimo held up his hand.

"Yes but they're not the ones getting fired, now are they?" Daimo asked with an annoyed look. Ichigo was stunned.

"I should have fired you years ago, but I didn't, so instead of sitting here spitting out excuses, you should be thanking me for everything I've given you." Daimo said with a slight sniff. Ichigo opened and closed his mouth, but nothing came out.

"I really shouldn't be doing so much for a brat like you, but I'll be giving you your last paycheck. I was going to give you this talk last night and send you off, but Kaiya told me I should wait until this morning to give you a chance to get some sleep before you were fired." Daimo said. Ichigo let out a strangled choke.

"Kaiya knew I was getting fired last night?!" Ichigo asked, horrified. Daimo nodded and smiled.

"Kaiya's so thoughtful, she's been watching you closely and telling me about you - she has so much concern for you despite how little you show for her. In return I let her know a couple of days ago that I was going to fire you. You should really be thanking her, if she hadn't have stepped in so quickly to take over you job and let Yumi take her shift, I would have had to make you work without pay until I found a replacement. Kaiya really is such a thoughtful young girl." Daimo said.

Ichigo barely heard the last part as the information sank in. Kaiya had known all along and used him anyways... She'd been pretending to worry about him so she could tell Daimo about his every mistake while still looking innocent and caring. She prolonged his firing just long enough to get him to do whatever she wanted. Ichigo was shaking in anger, fear, shock at this point, but Daimo didn't notice.

"I can't say a recommendation from me will be all that useful since you legally don't have any work experience or credibility, but who knows, maybe some establishment hasn't heard of you before or your reputation." Daimo said as he handed an envelope to Ichigo. That was the whole reason Ichigo hadn't ever bothered to find a second job, no one would take him. He'd started looking since he'd turned 15, but there were only so many places he could go, and half the people wouldn't even let him through the door. This was his last resort, his only way to make money, and now it was gone.

Lena was going to kill him. She was honest to god going to kill him. She'd beat him until he couldn't breathe, until he couldn't feel or move. Even if she didn't kill him with her anger, he'd probably starve to death first.

Ichigo just sat there, thoughts looping over and over again to the same place. This was it. He was finished, done, kapoot. Numbness mixed with panic.

What the hell was he going to do?! How was he going to face Lena today? He couldn't pretend that he still had a job, there wouldn't be any money coming in. What was he going to do? All he could think about was having to face Lena when he came home. He had failed.

He had failed.

He had utterly failed.

"Ichigo?" Daimo asked. Ichigo barely even responded. He'd been sitting there for so long that he'd actually gotten sore. Daimo just stared at him uncomfortably. Most people either broke down and cried or left at this point. He was just sitting there, pale and silent.

"Um, leave?" Daimo gestured to the door.

Ichigo slowly got up and opened the door, quietly closing it behind him. Turning around, he managed to catch the group of coworkers that had been listening in running away to the front of the store. Ichigo's legs felt stiff and heavy as he walked slowly out towards the door, final paycheck in hand. His mind had finally stuttered to a stop, shock and dread fading away to leave an empty, hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. His coworkers tried their best to look casual, but weren't doing a very good job of hiding their grins and giggling. Kaiya just crossed her arms and smiled at him as he walked by as if in a dream.

Ichigo stopped and faced them, not saying anything for a long while, just staring at them with a numb expression. He wouldn't have known it, but when he looked at them, he looked even more beyond his years than he already did. Dark circles stood out under his empty brown eyes, accentuated by the bony frame of his pale face where a youthful glow should have been. Now the only glow on his face was an angry red mark slowly turning into a bruise. They couldn't help but notice something like that now, even if they thought it was from fighting. He'd always been frightfully thin, but it wasn't as noticeable thanks to the baggy clothes and sweatshirts he constantly wore. Now they saw it in the loose and unsteady way he stood, limbs carefully covered to hide bruises they never saw in ratty old clothing that looked like he'd had it for years.

It was deeply unsettling to look at him right now, but their eyes were glued to him, laughter gone to leave uneasy silence as Ichigo just looked right through them. He raised his eyes to Kaiya, then to the rest.

"What did I ever do to you for you to hate me so much?" Ichigo asked in a faint voice. Kaiya didn't know what to say. She'd felt so smug for finally getting back at him as well as getting his job before, but now she was just... uncomfortable.

No one had any words for that, so the silence continued before Ichigo turned away and left.

x

-x-

**Karakura High School**

Ichigo stared silently at the clouds passing outside his window from his desk. Everything looked so peaceful from where he was at, blue sky and radiant sun making for a surprisingly pretty day. It didn't feel right for the kind of day he was having. Things had started off so terrible, his mother having another fit of hysterics before work, having to run away from her yet again, and then getting fired. Maybe that wasn't fair though, last night had been just as terrible. All his days started off this terrible whether or not his mother was in a mood.

All his days were like this. Terrible.

Looking back, that's all he saw. Bad, bad, and more bad. Was there anything that he really looked forward to anymore? It had been so long since he'd last been happy, and not being sad just didn't cut it either. Being numb meant he didn't feel sad, but it also meant he didn't feel happy, so that wasn't good either. It just made him feel more apathetic about life. It made him feel like nothing really mattered. That made it a struggle to concentrate on school, but today he didn't even try to listen.

He knew his teacher wouldn't care - she didn't think he listened to her half of the time anyways. So instead he stared out the window and imagined what it was like to be a cloud, light and free. He knew that a cloud wouldn't feel like that since clouds obviously can't feel, but they wouldn't feel the monotony of life either. They wouldn't feel how each day just dragged on, over and over and over again with no end in sight. It was odd to feel that this was never ending while being unable to see a future at the same time...

Ichigo wondered briefly if it was normal to feel like this. He'd never really thought about it before since it wasn't that strange for him to have moments like this, but now he had no reason not to. School didn't matter to him right now. Nothing did.

He'd heard somewhere that feeling like nothing mattered was a sign of depression, but he wasn't depressed. Depressed people were sad, right? He didn't feel sad right now, he just felt numb and distant. He knew what sad felt like, and he didn't feel sad for super long periods of time, just heavy. He felt tired and heavy all the time, like he had no energy. The only time that stopped was when he was hurting himself or freaking out. Then he was panicked, jittery and scared and so full of emotion he thought he was going to burst. Angry, scared, shameful, sick, desperate, hopeless, sad and then all of a sudden back to nothing. It was a terrible roller coaster that left him wishing everything would just stop.

Sighing, Ichigo glanced back at the class to find that it was almost empty. Ichigo blinked. He'd been so busy thinking that he hadn't even heard the bell for lunch ring. Ichigo got up to leave, but paused. Where was he even going to go? Normally he went to the library to study and work on homework, but now he found he just didn't care to do that. He couldn't really go outside either to eat as he didn't have anything to eat. He didn't really feel like staying in class since there were so many students still milling around, so Ichigo made up his mind to go somewhere secluded. So far he could only think of one place besides the bathroom that would maybe be solitary enough for him, and that was the roof. Even if someone was up there, it was a large roof, so he could always just choose a spot far away and pretend to be doing something.

Opening the door, Ichigo ran smack first into a student trying to enter the class. The other stumbled backwards to land flat on his ass while Ichigo fell forward onto his hands and knees. Ichigo was going to apologize but stopped when he saw the student patting the ground and crawling on his knees.

"My glasses!" He said.

_Oh, that's why he was doing that..._

"Shit, sorry about that - let me help you find them." Ichigo said as he too started crawling around to look for them among the textbooks and scattered paper. After shuffling around some of the papers, Ichigo found the glasses, but winced when he realized their was a small crack in the glass. Handing them to the student, Ichigo grimaced.

"Sorry..." Ichigo said. With his glasses on, Ichigo recognized the student now as Uryu. Everybody considered him to be the smartest kid in school, and it seemed to Ichigo that he did too.

"What did you do - sit on them?!" Uryu exclaimed as he ran his fingers along the crack. Ichigo growled a little. It wasn't his fault that his glasses had a tiny crack in them - it was an accident.

"No, I purposefully knocked you down so I could dance on them until they broke." Ichigo said dryly. Uryu huffed and glared at him. Ichigo just sighed tiredly and started gathering Uryu's papers for him. He just wanted to get up to the roof so he could have some peace and quiet. Shifting some of the papers, Ichigo frowned when he saw that one of them was a study sheet.

"We don't have another test coming up, do we?" Ichigo asked. Uryu rolled his eyes and snatched the paper from Ichigo's hands.

"We do, but I don't really think it should matter to  _you_." Uryu said. Ichigo stiffened.

"Believe it or not, I do actually try to get good grades - or did you forget that I'm taking all normal classes now?" Ichigo said with a glare.

It was actually something that he was pretty proud of, not having to take special classes for students behind in school. He'd absolutely hated those classes because none of the teachers there seemed to get that he was having trouble with school not because he was stupid or didn't care, but because he couldn't concentrate and had to step out so often. The other students there hadn't liked him either because they all either had learning disabilities or other legitimate excuses for why they were behind in school and needed the extra help while Ichigo looked like he just didn't want to learn. All throughout that time student tutors like Uryu would help out with the students and prepare them for normal classes. Uryu himself had told Ichigo his first day in the high school's special classes that there was no point in him wasting his time trying to help Ichigo because a delinquent like him would never put the time and effort into learning like all the other students there. Ichigo would have yelled at him when he was in middle school, but instead he had just glared at him and told him by the end of the year he'd be out of the special classes and learning with everyone else. Uryu had smirked at him and told him that would never happen.

Ichigo had savored the look of shock on Uryu's face when their teacher had announced that he would be joining his class permanently not even halfway through the year. Uryu had never bothered to look at the marks Ichigo had been getting both in the special classes and his normal classes. If he had, he would have seen that each year Ichigo drastically improved on a steady curve from F's to D's to C's all the way up to B's and A's in his special classes up until 8th grade. Once in high school, Ichigo managed to ace his special classes and pass all of his normal classes, so he was allowed to go full time into the regular classes.

"You do actually realize you have to earn something for it to be an accomplishment, right?" Uryu said condescendingly.

Ichigo didn't bother to reply. As sweet as his progress was, it had soon turned bitter. Not only did no one believe that he'd made it fairly back into normal classes, but they also seemed to hate him more. Rumors and lies circulated about what he'd done to get back into normal classes as well as other generally negative rumors increased. Teachers always double checked his work or immediately gave him lower marks because they assumed they didn't need to look at it to know what he deserved. He'd constantly had to bring his work back up to the teacher to ask what he did wrong just so he could have it regraded to something better. It made all his hard work feel so pointless and degrading.

"Pricks like you never get it. I could drop dead and you'd glare and say I cheated." Ichigo said in a voice suddenly devoid of emotion. His blank eyes and emotionless voice startled Uru. Shoving Uryu's papers and books into his arms, Ichigo stood up and left.

This is why Ichigo never bothered to talk to anybody, it was all the same.

x

Reaching the roof, Ichigo looked around and saw a group of students eating lunch together and talking. Ichigo froze, those were the students he'd seen in the academy that night, the ones he'd seen covered in scratches and blood. Seeing them now, it was clear that none of them had any such injuries, not a scratch. It was almost as if somebody had completely erased every cut and blemish from them.

Swallowing thickly, Ichigo turned away and headed to the opposite end of the roof. He'd originally meant to try and talk to them to find out just what had happened, but everything had fallen apart so quickly that now he abandoned that thought. Maybe he really had imagined it, maybe he was crazy. It didn't really matter. No one cared to find out and even if they did, he didn't have much to lose now. With no job, he was as good as dead to Lena.

Ichigo reached the railing and leaned out to look out over the trees surrounding the back of the school. Feeling the sun on him, Ichigo looked around carefully before taking off his school coat. He never took off his coat no matter how hot it was to hide both his bruises and his scars. Most of the random scars on his body were only noticeable to him as he recognized where they were after carrying them for so many years, but the scars on his wrists and scratches on his upper arms stood out more against his skin.

Ichigo sighed and rubbed his arms, a littler colder than he expected to be without his coat. Feeling the slightly raised skin where his cuts had healed over with scar tissue, Ichigo supposed he should have felt a little guilty, or maybe even ashamed. Sick? No, he didn't feel any of those things anymore when he did it.

When he'd first hurt himself, it wasn't on purpose. It was one of the first times that he freaked out. Someone had touched him when he was 11, and it was like a switch flipped. All of a sudden he was back in a nightmare, and he was terrified. He'd flipped out and ran to the bathroom where he sat for hours hyperventilating and rocking back and forth. He didn't realize until after it had passed that he'd been scratching himself and banging his head against the wall. It was like he wasn't even there, like he was in a trance. He'd felt sick and scared, but not ashamed because he hadn't done it on purpose. He just knew that when he was freaking out, physical pain grounded him and helped him get through it, so when he started having episodes more and more, he used it.

People tended to think you were insane if all of a sudden you started rocking back and forth while scratching yourself and banging your head. So when he felt panicky, he tried to find a quiet place where no one would see him, and he slowly scratched his arms while he rocked. While he was doing it, he felt better in some twisted way, but when it was over, he just felt nauseous and guilty.

Some part of him knew that he wasn't really supposed to be doing this and it made him nervous, but it was the only thing that helped. As time went on, he found that just scratching wasn't really enough to make him feel good anymore. He found that he'd have to scratch harder and actually draw blood. He'd even started doing it when he wasn't immediately panicking because it made him feel... better. It took the numbness away when he couldn't feel anything. From there it was a slippery slope.

He didn't know how he'd gotten the idea, but one day he snuck an old pocket knife of Lena's to school with him to see if it would help. He'd gone into the bathroom when he was starting to freak out and done it. He'd actually had to bind his arm with a sock after he accidentally cut too deep (later he read that that was actually how a good amount of people died on accident when they cut just a little too deep or hit a vein), but it had helped.

He'd immediately felt so ashamed that he'd done it, but it was helping him control his freak outs and apathy better. It made him feel like he was sort of sick for getting pleasure out of doing it, but once he started it was so hard to stop. He had tried once, but he was so used to cutting himself to keep his freak outs and panic away that when he didn't, he wouldn't be able to control himself as well. It was harder to hide the signs in public because he needed some sort of release, and when he wasn't cutting, he'd scratch himself or try to hit his head during his freak outs. He'd even throw up if it was a certain kind of memory. So he'd gone back to doing it to take the edge off his episodes, make them milder and more tolerable, easier to hide and less frequent. If he could figure out when he was starting to panic, then he'd step out and do it before he had a chance to freak out, and it helped.

It helped prevent things. It calmed him down and in that way helped him deal.

It still kind of scared him that he'd become dependent on it, but he really felt his hands were tied. He got shaky and sweaty when he didn't have his pocket knife with him. Ichigo had a feeling that if he went too long without doing it, he'd get the same way, but he never got the chance to find that out thanks to how constantly stressed and scared he was. Everything seemed to set him off, and he didn't know how to stop it.

That was why he missed seemingly random bits of class, he was going into the bathroom to calm himself down. He chose the bathroom because it was isolated, mostly private, and if he got sick and threw up, he wouldn't make a mess. It also had plenty of toilet paper to clean himself off with and hide any evidence. It still felt like some horrible dirty secret, so he made sure to never show his arms or legs even if he didn't have any bruises there.

Absently running his thumb along the scars, Ichigo wondered why he was like this. Part of him almost hoped somebody saw his arms so they could ask him if he was alright, or at least know that something wasn't right. But the fear of judgement and being found out made sure he rarely entertained that thought. Any time his teachers had called home to try and talk to Lena about his behavior, Lena would put on her mom-act and charm the pants off his teachers (not when she was drunk of course - even she wouldn't attempt that), telling them how sorry she was and how she was going to instill change him in. Then she would punish him.

She would do the same if she found out about what he was doing.

Staring down from the railing, Ichigo felt that familiar instinct everyone feels when standing somewhere high up over a drop. Would he die if he fell? What would it be like? Would they even find him at the back of the school? Ichigo had always wondered what it would be like to die, even at a young age, but it was only in recent years that he'd entertained thoughts like this. Would it be painful, hitting the ground like that? Would he even have time to feel pain before he died?

Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted as he sensed movement behind him. Turning around, Ichigo caught the surprised expression of the almost red-haired girl he'd seen at the academy.

"O-oh, Ichigo... I didn't really expect you to hear me, but I just came over here to say hi and offer you some of my lunch." She said with a nervous smile. Ichigo couldn't help but frown a little, she was in his class, but she'd never really talked to him before. He was pretty sure her name was Orihime.

"Sorry, I hope I'm not being rude or anything, I just noticed that you came up here, but you don't have anything to eat. So I thought 'man, I'd be hungry if I didn't get to eat lunch today, I know! I have an extra sandwich he can eat!'" Orihime said with a finger to her head and a mock thoughtful expression on her face. Ichigo blinked. She'd really seen him and thought to give him some of her food?

"Thank you, but shouldn't you be eating that sandwich? I'd really hate to take your food from you..." Ichigo said. It didn't matter that he was starving, this girl had actually thought about him and cared that he might be hungry, so goddammit, he was going to be nice back. Orihime shook her head with a determined expression.

"Mm-mm! I already ate enough today, and Keigo says I have to watch what I eat since I'm already kind of thick and curves can turn to fat really quick." Orihime said, though she blushed slightly at the last part. Ichigo did too, that was an awfully rude thing for Keigo to say. Looking at Orihime, she wasn't exactly thin, but that was no excuse. He really didn't think that was a bad thing or that it meant she wasn't pretty, she was still attractive and surprisingly nice. Describing her as "thick" still felt negative though, so he settled for... shapely. He'd heard plenty of classmates whispering enviously about her *ahem* curves.

"Well I think Keigo's a jerk, and he doesn't have any right to tell you how much to eat since you're perfectly fine the way you are. Thick doesn't mean ugly, just that you have more shape to you." Ichigo said with a sniff, arms crossed. He'd managed not to blush when saying that, but the same couldn't be said for Orihime. She looked an odd combination of surprised, embarrassed, and maybe even slightly pleased.

"T-thank you." Orihime squeaked. Ichigo just nodded causually despite the light dusting on his cheeks.

"Well, um, this is for you. I hope you like it." Orihime said as she held out a small bundle wrapped in a checkered handkerchief. Ichigo took it and Orihime brightened.

"I know! Why don't you eat with my friends and I? You can also meet the new transfer student, Chad." Orihime said. That was not what Ichigo wanted, he'd come up here to be alone.

"Oh, um, I don't know..." Ichigo said, raising an arm to scratch the back of his head. Orihime gave him a pouty look, changing into confusion as her eyes wandered. Following her gaze, Ichigo realized she was looking at the arm he was holding up. His bare, uncovered arm...

Ichigo immediately snapped his arm back down to his side, hiding his other arm behind his stiff body. Orihime opened her mouth to ask him about it, but stopped when she saw the guarded look on his face. Ichigo locked eyes with her, jaw set and gaze hard as if challenging her to say something. Orihime shifted uncomfortably in the suddenly tense atmosphere.

"Oh, well that's okay... I'm just going to... go. I hope you like it." Orihime said awkwardly. Ichigo didn't say anything as she hesitated before leaving. As soon as she was gone, Ichigo let out heavy breathe of panic and quickly shoved his arms into his coat. Oh god, she saw. How could he have let somebody see his scars?! He never showed his arms or legs,  _never_. She was just being so nice to him that it had thrown him off.

Sliding down against the railing, Ichigo ran a shaky hand over his face. His heart was wildly beating and he felt sick, but that wouldn't stop him from eating. he hadn't eaten anything today, or last night. Carefully unwrapping the handkerchief and stuffing them in his pocket, Ichigo took a bite of the sandwich.

...It was delicious.

It was all Ichigo could do to stop himself from inhaling the entire thing. It was good enough that he really wanted to savor it. It was crunchy and had fresh lettuce, and it somehow tasted both spicy and creamy. There was also a slightly meaty, nutty aftertaste. Looking at the sandwich, Ichigo took the bread off and nearly choked. Salmon and lettuce were topped with what looked like hot sauce mixed with mayonnaise and peanuts. If Ichigo hadn't just tasted it, he would have thought the combination sounded disgusting, but it tasted unbelievably good.

It wasn't like any of the other crappy junk food he'd eaten, and it was obvious she'd put a lot of time into making this. Now Ichigo felt bad for scaring her off, but he couldn't help it. That was his natural reaction to get aggressive like that, if he didn't he'd end up really hurt in a lot of situations. It was challenge and get aggressive before somebody else had the chance to do it and hurt him.

Swallowing the rest of the sandwich, Ichigo covered his eyes with a hand. He hadn't even said anything, and yet he'd still lashed out at her in a way. That's why he didn't have any friends, not because he got into fights or acted weird, but because he'd lash out. It had been much worse when he was younger and started going back to school after the ...fake nightmare... when he couldn't control his reactions or properly isolate himself. He was much better than he had been, but that wasn't saying much. It was touching that Orihime had thought of him and even came over to give him some food, but now Ichigo just wanted this all to be over.

-x-

**Orihime Inoue - School Roof**

Orihime walked back to her group of friends with a frown on her normally cheery face. Seeing Orihime's frown, Tatsuki got up from where she was sitting.

"What's wrong, didn't he like your sandwich?" Tatsuki asked. Keigo and Mizuiro looked at each other. They themselves had tasted some of Orihime's creations before, and some of them had been... interesting. Orihime shook her head.

"I never really got the chance to find out..." Orihime said. Tatsuki glared in Ichigo's direction.

"Did he say something to you? I told you it was a bad idea to go over there to talk to him - everyone knows Ichigo's an ass." Tatsuki said with balled fists. Orihime quickly threw her hands up to ward off her friend from going over there and beating him up on the spot.

"No! No, he was actually really nice when I talked to him. He seemed really surprised that I was even talking to him, and he was really polite. He almost didn't take my sandwich when he heard what Keigo had said about me - he says Keigo's a jerk and I should eat however much I want." Orihime said quickly. Keigo blanched.

"You told him what I said?!" Keigo cried. Tatsuki had already slapped his arm and chewed him out after his little comment. Orihime sheepishly scratched the back of her head.

"Sorry, I was just trying really hard to get him to take the sandwich. I've never seen Kurosaki-kun without his jacket before, and he looked really thin. Come to think of it, I've never really seen him eat before either..." Orihime said thoughtfully. Tatsuki frowned a little. She hadn't really ever seen Ichigo without his coat either, and she would have assumed Ichigo would be well-muscled from the amount of fights he won. Chad spoke up from his place beside the group.

"If he was so polite, then why are you upset?" Chad asked quietly. Chad had heard plenty of things about Ichigo, but he'd never met him before so he didn't know what he was like.

"Oh I'm not really upset, it's just that while I was inviting him over to eat lunch with us, I started looking at his arm and he got all weird all of a sudden." Orihime said.

"What do you mean, 'weird'?" Tatsuki asked.

"He was being really nice before, but suddenly he got all stiff and kind of defensive. He wouldn't talk to me or look at me anymore, so I left." Orihime said. Ichigo had put his arm down before she could really get a good look at it, so she wasn't really sure of what she'd seen. It looked like he had cuts or something on his arm...

"Hmph. Well that's not all that surprising considering it's Ichigo." Tatsuki said with a slight growl. Feeling a little out of the loop, Chad spoke to Tatsuki.

"Do you know Ichigo that well?" Chad asked. Tatsuki shrugged.

"I've known Ichigo since elementary school, he even used to sit in on martial arts lessons at my old dojo since he couldn't afford any actual lessons. He was always such a crybaby back then, freaking out and crying over the smallest things. He used to steal from the other kid's lunches back then too, but I actually kind of thought it was funny since he mostly stole from jerks. I think that's when he first started getting into so many fights since he was always showing up with bruises. But after he left town when he was eight and came back about three years later, he was completely different. No one ever saw him cry again, and for about a year or so he was practically mute. He'd freak out randomly and lash out for no reason. He was constantly getting into fights and getting in trouble with everyone, especially teachers because of his random outbursts. He nearly had to repeat a grade he was doing so bad in school, but his mother always told the school the same thing; Ichigo had anger issues and she was helping him work through them at home as well as teaching him to concentrate in class." Tatsuki paused as she thought back.

"I feel pretty bad for his mom. When I met her she was really patient and kind, I don't think I ever saw her yell at him once. It's too bad she's always too sick to go out anymore. I only ever saw her when she came to school for parent-teacher conferences, everybody loved her." Tatsuki shook her head to clear her mind a little.

"Either way, Ichigo stopped having as many outbursts in school, so people mostly just ignored him. His teachers were still really pushing for him to go back a couple grades, but his mom convinced them not to as long as he at least got C's and took special classes. This is actually the first year that he doesn't get C's anymore or have to take special classes. He still gets into tons of fights and skips out on class, but no one really cares anymore. As far as I'm concerned, Ichigo's just a jerk. He's never wanted anything to do with people from the very beginning." Tatsuki said with a sniff. Chad frowned. Why had Ichigo changed so much? That sounded like a pretty drastic shift in personality.

"Where did Ichigo go when he was eight?" Chad asked. Tatsuki shrugged again.

"Don't really know. There are a bunch of rumors about where he went and what he did, but the official story is that he went to live with his dad for a while in Tokyo. A bunch of people think he went to a correctional school where he learned to toughen up from all the other delinquents, but I don't believe it. He disappeared before school had completely ended and actually made the school freak out because they had no warning or records that he was transferring out. His mom claims the records were lost, but it was still a little weird since even Ichigo didn't seem to know he was leaving. Little weirdo told everybody when he came back that monsters had taken him away, but nobody believed him. He completely shut up about that after a month or so, so I guess he figured out that he wasn't fooling anybody." Tatsuki said.

It sounded to Chad like Tatsuki might be slightly biased, but none of the others said anything to contradict her, so maybe her description of Ichigo was accurate from their standpoint at least. Orihime had remained quiet through all of this. Even if Ichigo really was the way other people saw him, did that mean everybody should give up on him? She hadn't told her friends this, but when she'd been there before Ichigo had noticed her, he'd looked so sad and tired. She only got to see it for a split second on his face before he buried it with a scowl.

-xxx-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Ignoring the stares and whispers that followed him, Ichigo left school and started his walk home. Normally Ichigo would take the shortest route home, but today he chose the route he usually took from work to school so he would have some more time to think. He'd had plenty of days like this where dangerous thoughts bounced around his head, but it was always to the same conclusions and questions. If he was gone nobody at school would care, but who would take care of Lena? What would happen to her if he suddenly disappeared? He had a sickly hopeful feeling it would turn out like last time.

The first time he had left, Lena had already been an alcoholic, but she still went out and worked then. Without Ichigo to feed (sort of) and take care of (deal with), Lena ended up with a bit more freedom and moved into a small apartment after one of her work friends offered to give Lena a place to stay with her and her roommates. Eventually Lena's toxic habits and shameless mooching led her roommates to hold an intervention and semi-force Lena to get sober or else kick her out. Apparently she even started attending an online AA meeting.

Turns out whatever terrible memories and things Ichigo had constantly reminded her of were much easier to bury and move on from if he wasn't there.

But when Ichigo had come back and looked for her, Lena had been forced to take him back. He knew immediately that she was putting on an act for her "friends" so she wouldn't end up out on the streets when she quickly came up with a story about where Ichigo had been and why she'd never told them about him even when he was in Karakura town. She'd run into hard times and couldn't keep up with Ichigo's terrible attitude, so her divorced husband had taken Ichigo to live with him while he put him through a school to help Ichigo curb his anger issues. They'd been falling for her blubbery tears and fake apologies for years, so they bought it. They'd even pitched together to give her a whole bunch of money to help her buy a house for Ichigo and her to live in again. But Lena hadn't been truthful about her progress with them, and she was still struggling to get over her addiction. She'd only tried to stop so she could live with them, but now she had no reason not to give in to her even stronger temptations.

It had only taken a month for Lena to go right back to the toxic life she'd just escaped, squandering the money they'd given her on drinks before she had a chance to follow through on her mortgage. She ended up losing the house, but she knew she couldn't tell her old roommates about it because they'd catch on. So she hauled Ichigo to some shit hole apartment on the worst side of town because it was the only place they could afford. They had checked up on her constantly and Ichigo'd been forced to listen as Lena spun perfect lies about her life and the random but believable disasters and chronic illnesses that left her friends cooing their apologies and sending her money to help her out. Life had been hell for Ichigo back then, but no one knew or cared to ask.

Since her friends still called occasionally to check up on her "I'm sorry, but mom's too sick today to talk, I know, we all hope she'll make it through this," Ichigo was pretty sure if something happened to him and he wasn't there to bring home rent, Lena would turn to them. The only problem was that Lena was as bad as she'd ever been, and not just when she was drinking. She had some serious issues that had existed long before her addiction, but only Ichigo had seen them. If she went to live with them now, there was a good chance they'd see through her and dump her. That was what had been Ichigo's driving factor for not doing what he was scared to want to do... until now.

The past couple of months Ichigo had been thinking and fantasizing more and more about things he knew he shouldn't really be thinking about, but it was hard to stop. All these dark thoughts would just pop up out of nowhere even if he wasn't even thinking about something remotely related. They were just so... invasive. It used to be just wondering what it was like, dying. Then it would be how, then what would happen if he suddenly got terminally ill, or somebody pulled a gun on him in one of his fights, or there was a drunk driver when he was crossing the street, or... It had gotten worse after that, more purposeful.

He hadn't really realized it at first, but he'd started subconsciously acting out on those thoughts. He was more reckless, less caring. He'd cross the street without looking, skip meals even if he'd finally gotten food, egg on his opponents during fights. Once he realized it though, he didn't really care...

It was even less obvious when he stopped taking care of himself thanks to the fact that he already didn't. It was little things like not bothering to brush his hair or change his clothes, or wash his hair. The only reason he noticed was because Daimo had to actually take him aside and read him the store policy on hygiene and personal appearance. Apparently people were complaining about his coughing and the fact that he always smelled of smoke (he had gotten used to it by now from Lena). As embarrassing as that was, it just felt like it was too much effort to keep up with all those things. He was just so tired, it was all he could do to get through school and work. Well, not work anymore at least.

 _I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore..._ Ichigo thought darkly.

If he couldn't work, then having Lena live with her old roommates became his best option of helping her. He'd been thinking for a while now of ways to make it so her old roommates would either accept her issues and manipulation or see it as something else, but without success. But eventually he'd picked up one or two things from Lena, and now he had an idea on how to lie to them to get them to do a little bit of both. After doing a little research on how medications, illnesses, and alcohol affected a person's mental state and personality, Ichigo was pretty sure he could convince them that the medication Lena had to take for her "chronic illness" (at this point he'd forgotten what she'd told people) had had some nasty permanent side affects on her personality and mood. To top it off, he could say that the disease triggered permanent damage from her past alcoholism and made her particularly susceptible to substances. If they found that suspicious, than he could always say she had issues from the past relationship with his father (who conveniently fell out of communication with them).

But what would seal her new life with them was all up to Ichigo. This part of his plan had been in the back of his mind for a long time, but he'd done his best to ignore it. But thinking about maybe actually doing it, he realized that this was something that he wanted. Thinking about it made him nervous, but also lighter when he thought about going through with it. He could admit that he was doing it on a selfish level because he wanted it, but it would also set his mother up perfectly in her new life. After all, what kind of friend would turn away a grieving mother?

"KISUKE!"

Ichigo's disturbing thoughts were interrupted by the cry succeeded by a soccer ball flying straight at his head. Ichigo doubled over backwards just in time to avoid what would probably be a concussion. Snapping back up, Ichigo looked to his right just in time to see the ball slam into a trash bin, crushing it. An expression of horror on his face, Ichigo whipped his head around to see where the death ball had come from.

Two girls Ichigo had seen playing soccer in this park many times before were standing in the middle with a strange man wearing a green and white striped bucket hat. Bucket head had a sheepish look on his face as the black haired girl glared at him. The other concerned looking girl was running in Ichigo's direction. Seeing her closer, Ichigo recognized her as the one who waved at him when he used to take this route. He'd met them a couple times before when breaking up fights between high schoolers picking on the middle schoolers and knew the light haired one as Yuzu and the other as Karin. He assumed the man was "Kisuke."

"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" Yuzu asked, puffing a little. Yuzu wasn't really athletic, but Karin was, so he often found them in the park playing soccer and pissing off high schoolers (Karin primarily).

"Don't worry Yuzu, I'm alright, but how did that happen?" Ichigo asked.

"You can ask this madman." Karin said as she joined the conversation, dragging along the man with the ridiculous hat and outfit.

"How is this my fault?!" Kisuke whined. Karin glared at him.

"You're the one who dodged!" Karin snapped. Ichigo felt his mouth twitch in what would have been a smile on a much happier person. It seemed that she had used one of the kicks he'd taught her to try and punish this Kisuke man. He was a little surprised since he'd had to leave before he could finish teaching her the trick. Since then he hadn't tried again or even stopped to say hi in almost a year because it made him home late... Lena hated it when he was late.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Yuzu asked, breaking Ichigo out of his thoughts. Ichigo nodded quickly. His face must of showed what he was thinking about since she looked concerned. Ichigo had always felt guilty that he'd basically ignored them like that, but he hadn't thought about it since he hadn't seen them in almost a year. The one time he had, Karin had glared at him before ignoring him. It had made him feel terrible because it felt like yet another bridge he'd accidentally burned, like Orihime...

"Erm, well since I'm alright, I kinda need to go..." Ichigo said quietly with a few weak coughs. The three of them looked at him curiously. They didn't know about the dark plan he was completing and what he had in mind. He felt nervous and anxious contemplating, especially around others, so he wanted some time alone to make the decision.

"Got somebody you need to go beat up?" Karin asked gruffly. Ichigo didn't bother to smother the look of hurt on his face immediately. Yuzu elbowed Karin in the ribs.

"What? Everybody knows what he's like." Karin said with a glare. Yuzu gasped at her sister.

"Karin!" Yuzu said. Kisuke looked like he was going to say something too, but Ichigo just held up a hand.

"It's alright. I'm beyond aware of what people say and think about me - I have ears." Ichigo said with a bitter smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. It looked a little too obvious that he wasn't used to smiling, even bitterly. Deciding he'd had enough of pretending to socialize, Ichigo started walking away, one hand raised in a wave.

"I wasn't kidding about needing to leave though. If I don't get home soon, Lena's really gonna give it to me." Ichigo said over his shoulder. They had no idea how true that would normally be, and he'd never give them a chance. Sucking in a breath, Ichigo let himself wander to the loneliest parts of Karakura town to think. He had a feeling he already knew what his decision was going to be, but he at least wanted time to call Lena's new roommates before he came home and went to bed.

* * *

 **Rattennest**  - rat's nest

 **Undankbares gör**  - ungrateful brat

 **Bitte**  - please

 **Du denkst ich höre dich nicht**  - you think I don't hear you

 **Das tut mir leid**  - I am sorry/ this brings me sorrow

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health  
\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

* * *

 

**I put a lot of thought into having Ichigo self harm since it's a very serious subject that I don't take lightly, but decided it would make sense in the situation considering Ichigo's own situation and his personality. Even in canon, I've always kinda felt that Ichigo's pretty self-destructive, this was just a physical manifestation of that. Even without that, unfortunately a lot of people turn to self harm to dealing with pain, especially after experiencing severe abuse and trauma. Without friends or anyone that Ichigo can really rely on, he has no guidance as far as learning how to deal with his pain and trauma in a healthy way, so he turns to what he's used to; physical pain.**

**Just a quick note, Orihime isn't stupid, she'd understand the implications of somebody having fresh cuts all over their wrists, she just didn't see Ichigo's as well as he thought she did. I'm gonna make sure Orihime's not as much of an airhead as she is in Bleach, especially now that I can add some more substance to her character and let her develop without completely revolving around Ichigo or only ever saying she'll develope to help him. (don't get me wrong, I like Orihime, I was just disappointed they didn't let her really shine and only ever used her as damsel in distress).**  
***cough* almost like her character only existed to be a sexy lamp/love interest and deserves better *cough* Chad too *cough* deserves better not is a sexy lamp Chad is not a sexy lamp *cough* Sorry I have a cold.**

**Ichigo was right by the way, Orihime isn't thick. She's thicc, because no one can have that size of honkers, badonkers, real dobanhonkeros, serious bonkhonagahoogs, massive honongalamongalonous while still having that tiny waist and everything else. It just made sense to me and fit my whole "trying to make everything a bit more realistic." It totally wasn't also because I wanted to make thicc jokes...**

**I wrote in a couple of character's perspectives on Ichigo to give you guys a better understanding of why Ichigo is ostracized and treated poorly by others. It may seem obvious to us that Ichigo is a good person and needs help, but just like in real life, it isn't to others. The signs are always there, but they're often misinterpreted or missed completely. Ichigo's seen as an unruly punk lashing out at others and just generally being disruptive, not a victim crying out for help. Most people think of victims as passive and docile, but a lot aren't as they use aggression as a defense - usually ending up being seen as antagonistic and unfriendly. Ichigo's rarely passive outside of work and doesn't just sit back and let people hurt him. He fights back against bullies and gangs in fights all the time, so nobody would guess that he himself was getting hurt at home - you don't usually look at a strong, independent person and think "victim."**

**Also, yay, Yuzu and Karin made an appearance! Yeah, Karin's hecca salty, but that's because she's the tinsiest itsiest bit of a brat without Ichigo as a big brother.**

**Uryu's kind of a brat b/c while he isn't bitter about shinigami since they never wiped out the quincys, he's pretty stuck up because they pretty much own the World of the Living and he's a little upset that he can't go to the Echt academy since he's not "pure." It doesn't help that he's just like in the beginning of Bleach - holier than thou to normal souls and non quincys. Don't worry, everyone has a chance to change.**

**As always, let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 2: Joyous End or Sorrowful Beginning?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's as dark as the last chapter, but in a different way.  
> Also, thank you guys so much for your reviews, I will answer some of them each time I post a chapter (chapter 1 comments will be answered in chapter 2).

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

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Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Joyous End or Sorrowful Beginning?**

-x-

**Karakura High School**

Students milled around aimlessly in the classroom as they waited for class to start, chatting in groups about anything and nothing. Quite a few were whispering and glancing at the new transfer student, Chad. Most of the girls seemed to like him as he was quite handsome and polite, but they rarely went up to him as he was still really intimidating. There were a couple of rumors that Chad used to get into some serious fights when he was younger, but had stopped after his abuela died and started getting beat up by bullies. Most everyone thought that's why he'd transferred to Karakura, to get a fresh start away from the middle school bullies. It was pretty surprising to think that Chad had trouble with bullies since he looked so strong, but nobody had the nerve to go up and ask him about it, especially after the latest strangeness he'd been a part of.

Nearly a week ago, Chad, Tatsuki, Orihime, Mizuiro, and Keigo had broken into the Gemischt Quincy Academy in the search of a lost hairclip, but had found something far worse. Police arrived to find that the students had stumbled upon the corpse of a teacher, but had been unhurt and were being taken care of by several teachers not long after being found. After that some lady from Shino Outreach had visited all of them to check up and offer Chad and Orihime a place in their programs. The others were asked to keep Shino Outreach in sight and invited to visit anytime they liked. Keigo had gone berserk and come up with a ridiculous conspiracy theory about how they were gathering psychics or something because the offers had come directly after Chad and Orihime had been talking about seeing shimmery figures where there were none. The Outreach lady had just laughed and told him that it wasn't uncommon for people to see and hear things that weren't there, and that if he too began to see strange people or creatures, he should talk to the councilors the Academy had provided after the incident.

Because of said incident, Chad's new classmates weren't very surprised to find out that Chad had already made quite a few friends despite his quiet and reserved nature. It was still a little weird considering one of those friends was Orihime. Everyone knew how normally shy Orihime was and that she was easily intimidated, so it was almost funny to see the two getting along so well, gentle giant Chad towering over friendly Orihime as she chatted excitedly about the next lesson.

No one but Orihime's friends knew that Orihime was actually really smart and did well in school. Orihime herself admitted that you wouldn't expect her to do so well, but it made sense when you knew how much Orihime enjoyed school and worked hard. Keigo personally found it disgusting that Orihime would find something so vile interesting, and he always made a point of voicing that opinion when Orihime talked about school.

"How could anyone like this hellhole Orihime? I say the only thing this place is good for is picking up chicks." Keigo said with a sniff. Tatsuki rolled her eyes.

"But high school is the path to your future Keigo! Isn't there some subject you like in school?" Orihime asked. Keigo groaned.

"You sound like a guidance councilor, Orihime. What in the world is there to like about the subjects in school?!" Keigo complained. Orihime smiled and put her hands together, a sure sign that they were in for a long chat.

"Keigo, there are so many different subjects to enjoy in school. Language arts is fascinating because you can do so much with it, you can make whole new worlds or fall into ones that somebody else made just by reading! You get to learn how to use speech and writing in so many different ways to get all kinds of information and messages across in any way you want. There are a million different ways to say just one thing - isn't that amazing?" Orihime gushed. Keigo shook his head. Orihime smiled.

"Well, maybe you like science! Science is interesting because you get to learn and discover so many different things about our world and how everything works. You can make predictions and experiments endlessly as you learn about our ever-expanding world. You can learn about everything from life to space to how movement works with just one subject - isn't that incredible?" Orihime said. Keigo shrugged.

"The only science I like is when you get to set stuff on fire in class. Ooh, or make stuff melt with acid!" Keigo said. Orihime laughed nervously. It figured that Keigo would only be interested in the more destructive side of science. The group of friends shared a look. They all hoped Keigo would never become a scientist.

"Er, yes, that is a part of science, but you don't have to like just one subject. I myself have two favorite subjects - art and math!" Orihime said. Keigo choked and dramatically began heaving.

"You like math?! How?! I've become friends with a demon - sweet, innocent Orihime is an abomination! Oh god, where did it all go wrong?!" Keigo cried out. Only a few students turned their heads before ignoring him again. This was pretty regular for Keigo. Tatsuki kicked and chewed out Keigo as Orihime pouted, slightly embarrassed.

"What's so wrong about liking math?" Orihime asked with a huff. Chad answered since Tatsuki and Mizuiro were busy trying to stop Keigo from making a cross out of pencils.

"Most people don't like math because of how difficult and complicated it is. No offense Orihime, but I wouldn't have thought you enjoyed math..." Chad said. Orihime waved off Chad's hesitance, but looked a little confused.

"I get that, but isn't that why math is so great? It's like a big puzzley board game full of twists and turns and different challenges. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the back of the box to get to the end. I thought people liked stuff like that." Orihime said. All four of her friends looked at her, confused. It figured someone as confusing and strange as Orihime would use an equally odd analogy like that.

"It's because most people don't have the finesse to even figure out the instructions right." A voice said from behind Orihime. Orihime turned around to see Uryu standing impatiently behind her.

"Oh, Uryu! Let me get out of your way." Orihime said and moved so Uryu could get to his seat. Chad frowned inwardly. It sounded a little like Uryu was implying most people were too stupid to figure out how math even worked.

"Even fewer people even take the time to put in the effort of playing the game. You can usually tell if someone will do well in such a game based on their general attitude." Uryu said with a pointed look at a notoriously empty seat. Keigo got up from where he'd been wailing, catching on faster than the others to what Uryu was implying.

"Still mad about Ichigo calling you a prick last week, huh?" Keigo grinned. He'd been there and while he wasn't exactly rooting for Ichigo, it had been pretty funny to see the look on Uryu's face when Ichigo suddenly called him that. Usually Ichigo was pretty reserved in their fights, but Keigo was glad he decided not to be for that spat. Uryu turned red and opened his mouth to say something, but the bell cut him off.

As all the students settled into their seats, the door flew open like always as Ichigo came jogging into class. Uryu tried to give Ichigo a glare, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. Ichigo had been like that all week, and it was a bit strange. Uryu and the others hadn't immediately noticed the difference in Ichigo, but after a day or so everyone agreed he was different.

For one thing, Ichigo started looking cleaner, neater. Ichigo's hair looked like he was actually brushing it and his uniform was clean. Bruises still occasionally showed up on his pale face, but they no longer matched missing dark circles under Ichigo's eyes. He didn't look exhausted anymore as he sat up straighter in his chair and watched lesson plans intently. His eyes were clearer, brighter and less shifty. He looked lighter, freer. But the most shocking think about him was that he actually seemed to  _smile_. It looked strange and foreign on his face, but it matched his newly relaxed posture and behavior. He still missed bits of class and got into fights, but for some reason he'd started avoiding them more and more. People saw him out and about town walking and standing on the bridge, looking out over the water.

Despite seeming happier, something just seemed a little off about him. It was a nagging feeling that only Orihime and Uryu seemed to feel, but they didn't really have any reason to, so they stopped thinking about it.

Watching Ichigo energetically scribbling down notes, Orihime hoped the change stuck. She had no idea what was making him so much calmer and happy since nothing had seemed to change in his life, but she was happy for him nonetheless. Other than that, not many people spent that much time reflecting on Ichigo and he spent the majority of his time unnoticed and ignored.

-x-

**Convenience Store**

Kaiya watched as Ichigo wandered around the store, taking his time picking out various different snacks and drinks. Ichigo's old coworkers subtly watched him from around corners and stands as they looked at each other. None of them had expected Ichigo to start showing up here and hanging around, but the day after he'd been fired he'd showed up after school and bought a bunch of snacks after wandering around. It had been so weird to see him show up like that, and even weirder when he'd looked cleaner and happier. He even  _smiled_  at them.

No one had gotten the nerve to talk to him, so they settled on just watching him. Even Daimo would peek out every now and again to stare at him curiously. It wasn't like he was causing trouble or anything, so they couldn't exactly ask him to leave. He was giving them good business too, what with all the food he was buying.

Candy, pastries, chips, crackers, soda, sandwiches, even cold packed sushi. They never saw him eat any of it, but he only seemed to buy things that would store well or last a long time. Today however, he'd actually opened up a pack of chips after buying his hoard of food. Kaiya watched as he ate one and closed his eyes, sighing. Turning around, movement caught Kaiya's eye. Her coworkers were hiding behind a stand and furiously gesturing at her and Ichigo. Kaiya shook her head vigorously. No way was she going to talk to him - if they wanted to find out what was going on, they'd have to talk to him themselves. One of her coworkers held up a box of pastry puffs, smiling at her and mimicking giving it to her. Kaiya snorted. They were going to have to do much better.

Next her coworker held up the pastry puffs and a box of mochi. Kaiya smiled. Now they were talking. Walking up to Ichigo, Kaiya pointed at the pile of bags beside him.

"What's all that?" Kaiya asked. Ichigo stopped chewing to reply.

"My mom. She's going to be moving to a new place soon, so I'm making sure she doesn't leave empty-handed." Ichigo said before going back to eating. He looked like he was really savoring his snack.

"And the chips? I've never seen you buy so much, let alone actually eat anything." Kaiya said as she shifted nervously. Ichigo was notorious for being stingy about money.

"Oh, this is just a treat. I've never actually had chips before..." Ichigo said absently. Kaiya was surprised. She knew Ichigo wasn't really the type of person to indulge in treats, but he'd seriously never had chips before? To be honest she'd only really seen him buy the same thing he always bought - dirt cheap rice bowls from the clearance section. She personally thought those things were disgusting.

"Erm, okay. Have fun with your... chips." Kaiya said awkwardly as she let him be. Ichigo just continued to eat. Once he had finished, Ichigo threw away the bag and left the store.

-x-

**Karakura Town - Park**

The sound of children playing and shrieking filled the park as children relished their freedom from school for the weekend. It had been raining all throughout the middle of the week, so now that the sky was clear and sunny, the park was filled with rambunctious children who had been cooped up for far too long. The soccer field was particularly busy today as several disorderly games were being played. A soccer ball sailed from the field into the street as two girls chased after.

"Wait Yuzu - look for cars first!" Karin called out to her sister as she reached the sidewalk, but Yuzu didn't hear and continued forward. Car horns blared as Yuzu screamed, but there was no crash. The person who had pulled Yuzu out of the street spun her around to look at him.

"Don't you know better than to run out into the street?!" Uryu exclaimed. Karin pulled Yuzu away from Uryu and checked her over to see that she was fine. A couple of people had come running over at Yuzu's scream, but now most dispersed as they realized nothing serious had happened. Yuzu began to cry as the shock wore off.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see any cars coming so I thought it was fine." Yuzu said between tears.

"That doesn't mean you can just run out like that!" Uryu exclaimed. Yuzu cried harder and Karin glared at Uryu, ready to give him a verbal smack down, but someone else beat her to it.

"Jesus, glasses. Go easy on her, she just nearly got ran over and now you're yelling at her." Ichigo said from the remaining onlookers. Uryu bristled.

"I wasn't yelling at her - " Uryu adjusted his volume as Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't yelling, just explaining proper safety." Uryu huffed. Ichigo walked over and took a look at Yuzu.

"You alright?" Ichigo asked. Yuzu nodded as Karin kept a protective arm around her sister.

"Yeah, I don't know if you saw, but Uryu pulled me out of the street in time - he saved me." Yuzu said with a smile to Uryu. Uryu looked extremely uncomfortable as he adjusted his glasses to hide his blush.

"Well, it's not like anyone else was close enough to do it, even Ichigo was preoccupied with ... collecting rocks?" Uryu questioned as he noticed that Ichigo had a fistful of pebbles. Yuzu and Karin also noticed and were staring at him.

"Er, yeah, I just found a couple rocks that looked pretty cool, so I was gathering them..." Icigo trailed off awkwardly. Now it was Uryu's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Is that why your pockets are filled with rocks?" Uryu asked. It felt like he was missing something here, but Ichigo often made him feel that way. Ichigo shifted and gave a non-committal shrug.

"Okay weirdo, have fun with your rocks, Yuzu and I have a game to get back to and a ball to retrieve." Karin said before crossing the street with Yuzu - safely. Stuffing the fistful of rocks into his sweatshirt pockets since his pants pockets were full, Ichigo left Uryu to go back to where he was collecting rocks. Picking out the heavier ones, Ichigo was so engrossed in his activity that he almost didn't hear meowing from the bushes near him. Pausing, Ichigo looked around before following the sound through the bushes and trees. Crunching and tripping on sticks, Ichigo made his way through the foliage as the meowing became more insistent. Reaching a small clearing, Ichigo followed the meowing to a tall tree to see a black cat clinging to a branch and making an awful racket.

"That's quite the perch you've got yourself stuck on." Ichigo said as he looked up at the cat. Not very happy with its predicament, the cat began to yowl.

"Okay okay, Give me a minute." Ichigo said as he circled the tree. Finding the lowest branch, Ichigo pulled himself up and slowly made his way to the cat. Seeing him, the cat hissed and backed away from him. Ichigo stopped moving and waited for the cat to stop hissing.

"That's it, I'm just here to help you..." Ichigo said in a soothing voice. The cat was watching him with sharp eyes that seemed just a little too intelligent, but didn't budge, growling instead. Ichigo sighed in annoyance, it felt almost like it was testing him. Inching forward onto the branch, Ichigo slowly held out his hand for the feline to sniff. Smelling him, the cat looked like it had decided something and immediately stopped growling. Ichigo tentatively scratched around its ears and when that didn't antagonize the cat, he began to move forward again. Reaching it, Ichigo continued to pet it, murmuring to it in a soothing voice as he picked it up and held it to his chest. The rest of the climb down was relatively painless until Ichigo slipped and fell to the ground a little early, causing the cat to yowl and scratch at him for the slightly jarring landing. Wriggling in his arms, the cat managed to worm its way out as Ichigo held at his shoulder where it had scratched him, bolting into the bushes as soon as it was free.

"Your welcome..." Ichigo muttered as he rubbed his shoulder. Sighing, Ichigo left to go find his way back to the park. Once he was gone, the same cat that had supposedly just run away came back into the small clearing.

"You can stop hiding now, Kisuke." It said in a deep voice. Coming out from his hiding place in the bushes, Kisuke flicked open his fan and smiled.

"Well?" The cat asked.

"He certainly appears normal from all aspects despite some seemingly bad lungs, but there was one thing off about him. Even when you scratched him, his reiatsu didn't fluctuate in the slightest." Kisuke said.

"You're right, but I didn't even notice that immediately. Could it just be that he has a high pain tolerance or something? I don't see why you're suddenly so interested in him." The cat said. Kisuke shrugged.

"It very well could be that he has a high pain tolerance, but then again, it could be something else. I've never sensed this boy around town before, yet we know that he lives here and even worked at a convenience store not far from mine. When I met him at the park with the twins, there was something off about him. Seeing him again, I get the same feeling, but I can't quite put my finger on it. A nagging instinct..." Kisuke said. The cat frowned at him.

"That seems like something awfully little for me to follow him around all day for." They said.

"Have my instincts been wrong before?" Kisuke asked. The cat hissed.

"Dammit Kisuke, just how many teenagers are you going to have me spy on this week?!" They said. Kisuke pouted a little.

"I thought you said you wanted to help me..." Kisuke said.

"Just how long should I follow this kid for - I do have other things to do you know." They growled. Kisuke fanned himself a little.

"Maa~ is it so hard to help out an old friend? I suppose it's a bit more pressing that you check up on those high school students than this latest case, so why don't you follow them around for the rest of the day." Kisuke said.

While the bright haired boy was interesting to him, Kisuke still had the teenagers from the academy incident to watch over. Upon checking their reiatsu and the reishi at the school, Kisuke immediately matched the reishi displacement and signature left at the school and on the teenagers to the mystery he'd been tracking for so long. Whatever had happened at the school remained lost to Kisuke as the teenager's memories were wiped before he could get there, and none of the quincies seemed to know what had happened. He did know for sure though that immediately after the event, all of the teenagers had elevated levels of reiatsu as well as a foreign signature. Something had been powerful enough to increase their reiatsu and spiritual awareness just by being in the same vicinity as them. Kisuke personally suspected that a seal of some sort had been broken or warped there for the amount of spiritual growth that the group of teens were going through. Three of them had not reached spiritual awareness to the point where they could see souls, but they looked well on their way. The other two looked like they might actually become Fullbringers in this life, though the one girl seemed to be a little different than a Fullbringer. Before the cat could leave, Kisuke mentioned something he'd nearly forgotten.

"Make sure not to let the new local shinigami see you - I've heard she's much more efficient at her job than the last one." Kisuke said. The cat gave Kisuke a curious look.

"You don't think she'd possibly know about me?" They asked. Kisuke tilted his head.

"I don't think she'd immediately guess who you are, but given a reason to suspect you, she might put a few things together. It would be rather unfortunate if she discovered you were not only an Outreach teacher, but the Tenshiheisoban princess Yoruichi Shihoin, especially considering she herself is a noble..." Kisuke said. Yoruichi silently cursed. She'd have to be more careful running around Karakura unless the noble was a Shiba.

"If that's all you had to tell me, I have some young teenagers to stalk for you." Yoruichi said. Kisuke winced. Saying it like that did make him sound a little bad. Slipping off into the bushes, Yoruichi left Kisuke to contemplate his methods.

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Wandering around empty streets, Ichigo held a hand to shield his eyes as he looked up at the sun. Sunset would be approaching soon and with it, relief. He'd been using all his best excuses that he normally saved up for Lena's worst nights to go shopping all week and stock up for when Lena leaves their apartment. After that he'd usually wander in and out of stores since it was raining and he didn't want to be at home. He hadn't planned on it raining so much, but if anything it helped his plan. It felt somehow right that the rain had stopped for today, a good omen of sorts.

Taking a deep breath of the clean evening air, Ichigo sighed. For so long he'd felt so heavy and hopeless, but all this past week he'd felt nothing but light and free. There were still instances where he'd freak out, but Ichigo had been cutting a lot more than he normally did this week to preserve this wonderful feeling of calm and peace, so he had a lot less episodes. He'd never felt this happy before, this free and calm, and it was amazing. There was still a very somber, dark edge to it, but he vastly preferred it to anything else. He had honestly thought that he'd be a lot more impatient, but he found that he wasn't in any rush. Things still felt slow, but not in the kind of endless monotony that had plagued him before. This was different, like slowing down your chewing so you could savor food before finishing it.

He'd been sorely tempted to never go home through this week so he wouldn't have to face Lena, but he didn't have any place to sleep. That was another thing, sleep. He still had terrible nightmares, but now they were less intense for some reason. Most of the time in his nightmares he'd wake up in darkness - the empty he called it - and would feel the darkness crawling over his skin, wanting to consume him so he would be nothing too. It was still unbelievably scary, but it  _was_  relatively peaceful, so he endured it and considered himself lucky.

Turning down a street corner, Ichigo looked at all the tidy little houses around him. He used to imagine what it was like to live in such a nice place when he was younger, but he'd eventually stopped. It was useless to imagine and hope for things like that. He'd never be able to live somewhere so nice, and thinking about it just made the poverty he lived in that much more bitter. Even before they had moved to their shithole apartment, the house they'd been living in was a moldy shack that constantly smelled like smoke and cat piss. Their new apartment smelled like smoke, alcohol,  _and_  cat piss. It unfortunately was worse in the smoke department because the apartment was small and had a tendency to trap it all. That was probably why Ichigo had developed a slight cough, but it wasn't like he could go see a doctor or anything.

Looking at the perfectly manicured lawns and cheery houses, Ichigo wondered how they could all look so nice. Well, most of them. One of the houses he was passing looked a little wilder than the others, bushes trimmed into weird shapes and a single bright pink lawn chair sitting out in the yard. Looking closer, Ichigo saw a small sign saying that it was the Kurosaki Clinic. Something about that name seemed familiar to him...

Turning away from the house, Ichigo was surprised to see that the sun was starting to set. It was about time now that he had everything he needed from the park and had dropped off his groceries at home.

Ichigo took his time walking to the bridge, the weight of all the stones and rocks in his pockets making him feel heavier. Looking down at the river, Ichigo could see just how swollen the rain had made it, sluggish surface hiding the killer currents this river was known for. He often stopped at this bridge to think and watch the water. So many times he'd wondered what it would be like...

Eyes glued on the water, Ichigo waited as a car passed behind him. Climbing over the safety railing, Ichigo took himself to the very edge to stand precariously atop the second railing. Wind tugging at his hair, Ichigo closed his eyes and slowly raised his arms out to the sides to feel the last rays of sun on him. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo stepped off the bridge.

.

.

.

-x-

_Panic filled him as quickly as the water in his nose and mouth. The force of hitting the water from so high up had killed him, he was sure of it!_

_Gagging, coughing, treading water all around him dragging him down through the stones in his pockets. Currents impossible to struggle against swept him deeper as darkness crashed down on Ichigo, weak movements slowing. Everything went dark and he felt himself leaving, the world quiet._

_Suddenly he's struggling again. Water in his nose and down his throat he scrapes the bottom of the riverbed, oh this is so wrong. He keeps dying and leaving only to be pulled back into his body. Things have gone so terribly wrong, why won't he die?_

_Ichigo soundlessly screams in the inky abyss as he lives and dies again, weak limbs unable to fight his watery tomb._

_Water, darkness, death, life._

_He didn't want to die, he never did. Everything had just hurt so much and he didn't know what to do._

_Water, darkness,_ _death,_ _life._

_He was so scared, he didn't want to die. He'd wanted to kill the pain, not himself._

_Water,_ _darkness,_ _death,_ _life._

_Water._

_Darkness._

_Death._

_Life._

_Water._

_Handkerchief._

_Handkerchief?_

_Maybe Ichigo is hallucinating, but suddenly he thinks he sees a checkered handkerchief in the gloom of the murky water. He realizes it's the one Orihime had given him with her sandwich, it must have come out of his pocket when he was struggling. He'd kept it in there because he didn't have the heart to talk to her again._

_Ichigo watches the current steal it from him as his struggling grows weaker, and this time the darkness sticks._

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is really short, I really wanted to put something out before school started since that's gonna wreck my update schedule, but I didn't make it. The next chapters are going to be way longer than this one, but probably not quite as long as Chapter 1. I'm still trying to figure out how long to make the chapters (I have a really poor concept of how long a chapter should be). I'm also trying to figure out the balance between action and exposition so that my story stops dragging on for so long on just one topic. I do hope that my previous chapter was at the very least strongly hinting that Ichigo was planning on killing himself, but if not, sorry. Just to make sure things are crystal clear, Ichigo killing himself directly after a week of feeling calmer and seeming happy is not some random event, people planning suicide generally experience a positive mood change when they finally decide to kill themselves as they've finally found a "solution," an end to their pain and turmoil. As my health teacher once said, no one really wants to end their life, they just want to end their pain. Suicide is a tragic way of doing that. If you or someone you care about is experiencing such turmoil, feel free to use any of the contacts I post with each chapter.  
> (Quick note inspired by a review of this story from fanfiction.net) If I could, I'd make the story strictly about Ichigo recuperating, but his whacky world doesn't really allow for it (I mean I did make a massive mystery about the Bleachverse suddenly becoming this different as well as throwing tons of threats in there). I'm not very good at figuring out how to balance action versus exposition, so there might be a couple chapters where it seems strictly one or the other, but 'Ichigo recuperating in the forefront with the Supernatural as it's partner' is still what I'm going for. Too bad things almost always get worse before they can get better...  
> Unfortunately it looks like I'm going to have to scale my updates back to once a month because of school, but luckily I took the time to power-write as many chapters as I could while school was still all introductions and awkward ice breakers so I don't have to update like that immediately. On the bright side you will be spared from my long-ass author notes for whole months at a time!  
> As always, let me know what you guys think.


	4. Chapter 3: Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little earlier than I planned on updating originally because of how short the last one was, but oh well, you guys deserve some more content.  
> Okay this is the chapter with some actual action in it. I don't know about anyone else, but it felt kinda like this story was dragging it's feet a little in action, so I apologize for that. If not, then great.  
> Sorry if my answers to reviews are kinda long, I write them into my chapters instead of PMing so that other people can see some of my thoughts and explanations about the story. I just think it's more convenient and might prevent people with the same questions having to write out reviews asking them, they can just see my answers and decide if that answered them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

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Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

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_Inner thoughts/speech_

**Chapter 3: Awakening**

-x-

**Orihime Inoue**

Orihime yelped and sat bolt upright as her alarm went off to fill the apartment with beeping. Stumbling out of bed as blankets tangled her legs, Orihime tripped and nearly hit the dresser with a squeak of panic. Untangling herself, Orihime slammed her hand down on the noisy alarm to cancel the incessant beeping. Sighing, Orihime flopped backwards onto her bed. As much as Orihime enjoyed going to school, she really didn't want to get out of bed today. For some reason she'd had a terrible nights sleep, tossing and turning with strange nightmares. She had dreamed that something was watching her from the darkness, but she couldn't see what it was or where it was. For the first time in a long time, Orihime wished her brother was here with her. She still remembered how he used to hold her and soothe her when she had nightmares. She didn't remember them now since she had been so young when the cause of her nightmares still plagued her, but she did remember how badly they had scared her. As time went on, they faded until she no longer even remembered, so she had no idea why she was having such nightmares now. Being here all alone while thinking about Sora made her apartment feel so much bigger and emptier, so Orihime resolved to get ready quickly today.

Getting up again, Orihime took a quick shower before making herself some breakfast, fried eggs dipped in oyster sauce. She still had no idea why Chad never ate breakfast with her after she'd first served him her usual meal... Finishing with her breakfast, Orihime slipped on her bedazzled briefcase. She'd never used one of these before until she'd seen Ichigo using one. After seeing him carrying so many books and assignments home with him, Orihime decided it was a much more efficient practice than just carrying her books with her, so she got herself one from the student store and bedazzled it with the help of Tatsuki and Chizuru. Various glittery designs covered her bag, mostly food and cute chibi animals.

The first time she'd worn it around Chad she had worried that he might find it silly like most of her classmates, but it turns out Chad actually quite liked it, especially all the cute animals. Orihime had been delighted to find out that Chad secretly liked cute animals as much as Orihime, so she later invited him over to put some new animal designs on her bag. It had ended up being so much fun that Orihime started inviting Chad over to her apartment more often to hang out or study. Occasionally Chizuru and Tatsuki would show up for girls night and Chad would go hang out with Mizuiro and Keigo, but other than that Orihime saw him quite frequently. While her friends joked that she liked Chad, Orihime never told them the real reason why she enjoyed his company so much.

As much as her friends visited her, Orihime still lived all alone, and it sometimes got to her. She never told her friends of course because she didn't want them to worry, but now that she had a friend living in the same complex as her, she didn't feel quite so lonely. It was fun to hang out with Chad, even if their first time had ended so disastrously. She still couldn't believe that there'd been a murder not long before she was in the school, and that she'd actually  _seen_  the corpse. It was even scarier when she had started seeing shimmery, translucent people not long after. The only other one to experience it was Chad, and he could see them even clearer than Orihime.

Luckily, the councilor from the Gemischt academy had kept his promise about checking up on them and had had a long talk with both about what was going on and how such trauma would take a while to recede. While Orihime wanted to believe him, she also couldn't help but feel like things were getting... stronger. Now she didn't see shimmery shapes, but full on people and creatures, and it scared her. She had been too afraid at first to tell the councilor, but Chad had told her that she really should. He'd made a deal with her that they would go to the councilor after school on Monday together, that way Orihime would have the whole weekend to try and relax. Now that it was Monday, Orihime was a little nervous.

Saying a quick prayer in front of her brother's shrine, Orihime checked her hairpins and stepped outside her apartment. Knocking on Chad's door, Orihime waited a moment before it opened. Chad was in his uniform and greeted her as always with a friendly grunt before stepping out and closing his door. Since they went to the same school, Orihime and Chad had taken to walking together. Orihime would chat and tell him about this and that while Chad would hum and grunt occasionally, deterring the lewd men who sometimes cat-called Orihime when she walked to school. That was another bonus of walking with Chad, while she knew that Chad was mostly a pacifist like her, others didn't. It had been extremely embarrassing the first time Chad had been witness to some of the comments people made to Orihime, but instead of choosing to ignore Orihime to get rid of the attention or let her take the comments, Chad had assured her that it wasn't her fault that she was getting this kind of attention and had squared himself up to tower over the first harasser he saw.

After that people mostly left her alone, even when Chad wasn't walking with her. Chad had told her that while he didn't fight unless he absolutely had to, something told him fighting back was right if it was defending someone else, so if she was ever in trouble to come to him and he would help her. That had really touched Orihime, so she'd told him that she too would try and fight if it came to it, though deep down she knew that she wouldn't really be that much of a help as she was now. Still, it was quite nice, actually, to be able to walk around without being scared somebody was going to say something or try and follow her. Today as they walked however, she still got the distinct feeling that something was following her.

Looking behind her every now and again, Orihime nearly bumped into Chad as he stopped.

"What's up Chad?" Orihime asked distractedly.

"You feel it too, huh." Chad rumbled as he looked around with Orihime too. Orihime stiffened.

"What do you mean...?" Orihime asked, playing dumb.

"Being watched, like something's following us." Chad replied. Orihime looked at him then, twisting her hands worriedly.

"I was hoping that was just me..." Orihime said. Chad nodded and prompted Orihime to keep walking, keeping an eye out just in case. The rest of their walk didn't hold any action though, and they reached the school with no incident. Entering the class, Orihime was surprised to see that the class was even chattier than they normally were. Everyone was talking and whispering to each other in hushed voices, drifting from group to group to pass on whatever it was they were talking about. Chizuru rushed up to Orihime with Tatsuki hot on her trail.

"Oh my god Orihime, did you hear what happened?" Chizuru asked. Orihime gave her a blank look. Tatsuki cut off Chizuru.

"Ichigo's dead - he killed himself last Friday." Tatsuki said. Orihime choked.

"What?!" Orihime exclaimed. Chad looked a little ill beside Orihime. Chizuru ushered the two over to where Keigo and Mizuiro were whispering near Uryu and another group of students.

"Everyone's been talking about it - the police found his body in the river." Chizuru explained. Keigo turned to them.

"Yeah - and they know it was suicide because he had a whole bunch of rocks and stuff in his pockets." Keigo said. Uryu stiffened, but no one noticed. Orihime suddenly felt light headed and plopped down into her seat. Chad put a concerned hand on her shoulder, though he didn't look any better himself.

_How did this happen? Ichigo had looked so happy all of last week, he was smiling and so calm..._

Orihime swallowed. Had Ichigo only been pretending to be happy, or was he actually happy? Why would somebody kill themselves if they were happy? It didn't make any sense. Seeing that Orihime was a little too shocked to find out anything more, Chad spoke up.

"But Ichigo had seemed so happy the last time we saw him, why would he kill himself?" Chad asked. Tatsuki shook her head.

"We don't know for sure, but Hanama's friend is the daughter of a police man, and she says that they're actually investigating Ichigo's mother, Lena, for child endangerment because they visited where she used to live and found the whole place  _covered_  in bottles and booze. They even found prescription medications and stuff, but only in her room. Apparently there wasn't even a couch in there, just an old pile of blankets in a corner where they think Ichigo used to sleep." Tatsuki said. Chizuru piped up.

"Ichigo actually  _lived_  in those shitthole apartments, you know, the ones that all the good tenants left after the fire? I've seen them before and the only people who live around there are squatters and druggies. No wonder he looked so dirty and smelled like smoke all the time - he was dirt poor." Chizuru said.

Ichigo lived in that kind of poverty? But he'd told everyone he lived in a house on the other side of town... Because he really lived somewhere he'd be ashamed for others to know. It made more sense than Orihime wanted to admit. That was why she never saw him eat, he probably couldn't afford any food. Orihime thought back to how thin and hungry he'd looked when she gave him one of her sandwiches. Now she wished she'd given him her whole lunch.

"But how did nobody know about the conditions he was living in? Has no one ever been to where he lived before?" Orihime asked. Keigo shared a look with Mizuiro.

"Well, it's not like he had any friends or anything... I'm pretty sure the closest he got was when you gave him one of your sandwiches." Keigo said. Orihime paled. Was that what it would have took to prevent Ichigo from doing this? A friend?

"But that's not why the police are questioning all his teachers - it's the stuff the general autopsy found." Chizuru said conspiratorially. Orihime frowned. There was more?

"You mean the stuff Hanama says she heard from her friend who heard it from her father? Just how trustworthy is that information?" Tatsuki asked with a raised eyebrow. Chizuru huffed.

"I'll have you know that even Uryu says what Hanama's been telling everybody is accurate - his father's a doctor too you know. I bet he's even apart of the autopsy team or something." Chizuru said with a sniff. They all turned to Uryu who had been trying his best not to listen, but had failed. Turning to them, Uryu fixed them with an angry look.

"A student has killed himself and all you want to do is gossip about him and trade theories about why he's dead!" Uryu snapped loudly. The whole class paused at that and looked at Uryu who was still bristling. Tatsuki stomped up to him and planted herself in front of him.

"We're not just spreading rumors and gossiping about him - we're trying to find out what happened! It's not like we're sitting here laughing about it and chatting about the weather! None of us understand how this happened, even me. I've known Ichigo for years and was even somewhat of a friend of his at one point, but I had no idea what his life was like. None of us knew that Ichigo was in so much pain that he felt like he had to kill himself to make it go away, so forgive us if we're confused and want to find out what could have been causing him so much pain when he'd been so happy last week!" Tatsuki exclaimed. Sensing the tension, the other students went back to whispering while secretly listening in. Uryu looked away.

"Fine, I'm sorry, but your'e not the only one thinking about him. None of you seem to get the implications of the information you're passing around, however respectful  _some_  of you are about it. Ichigo lived in a terrible apartment littered with bottles and booze that only had a bed for his mother? His mother isn't the perfect angel so many people think she is - she's a struggling alcoholic without a steady job. Why else would they live somewhere so terrible? Ichigo's late to school everyday and looks exhausted? He's the one paying for rent and food while struggling to keep up with school. Somebody came forward from that convenience store near Sogen Apartments saying that Ichigo had been illegally working there since he was  _12_. If he was working there for so long, they would have had at least enough money to buy a bed or some food, but they didn't. That means his mother must have been using the money he brought home on alcohol." Uryu said. Keigo frowned and interrupted Uryu's speech.

"But Ichigo's mother has come to school in the past and never acted like the kind of person you'remaking her out to be. I've only ever seen her smiling and she just isn't that kind of person." Keigo said. Uryu gave him a withering look.

"And do you also believe that she never comes to parent teacher conferences or leaves her house because she's sick? That's a pretty common lie alcoholics give, and it's not like Ichigo would have said anything, especially considering what the responder's autopsy found." Uryu said. Orihime looked at the others in confusion.

"I'm sorry, but no one's told me what's going on or what they found." Orihime said. When Uryu didn't say anything, Tatsuki turned to Orihime.

"Apparently he was covered in bruises and had a whole bunch of weird scars. He had a disturbing number of old breaks and injuries, but only a few records of ever going to the hospital. Even then things didn't add up because he'd show up with broken ribs or a twisted ankle saying he just fell down the stairs or got into a fight." Tatsuki said. Now Uryu chose to speak.

"He was obviously lying. The injuries he had were way too deliberate and serious for him to have gotten them in a fight. That's why they're going to do a second, official autopsy where they'll have a team of doctors and actually do an internal search. The police aren't just investigating his mother for child endangerment - they're investigating her for child abuse." Uryu said. Orihime was shocked.

Uryu was going to say more, but the bell rang. The students reluctantly went to their seats trying not to look at Ichigo's empty desk. The class was unnaturally silent as their teacher, Misato Ochi, entered the class with a stricken look on her face. She had just been debriefed about what had happened and could see that her class knew as well. Nonetheless, she still had a job to do, so she cleared her throat.

"I'm sure you've all heard what happened and have lots of questions, but I can't answer all of them right now. The police are here to investigate and will be pulling you aside in groups to ask questions. If anyone has any information they might think is useful about Ichigo or his mother, don't hesitate to go to the police here or after school. As much of a tragedy as this is, we do need to continue with your education... If any of you need to talk, the councilors are available for you to step outside of class and speak with, or you can talk to me after school." Misato said.

None of the students said anything, so she began her lesson, trying to ignore the now heavy silence. She had been the last teacher to find out, but the first to be questioned about Ichigo because she was his homeroom teacher. The more they had asked about him, the more she had realized that she didn't really know him. She only knew that he got into fights, had left Karakura for three years, struggled in school until recently, and that his mother was too sick to attend parent-teacher conferences. Other than that, she found that she had no idea what his life was like. All of the staff had begun to realize that Ichigo was more of a mystery than they wanted to admit, and it left terrible guilt. They'd pulled his records for the police only to find that half of them had been falsified by his mother and the rest barely had any information on him. There was only one record of a fight before the rest was marked down automatically, no investigation or anything. Even in the special classes where they kept meticulous records of student progress, the only thing they had was grades. No student tutors had worked with him and none of the teachers had given him one-on-one lessons after school like they were supposed to. It was as if they'd just given up on him.

What made it so much worse was that Ichigo had tried to reach out to somebody for help when he was younger, but nothing had happened. The middle school councilor had been shocked that he was under heat for not checking into Ichigo's claims more under the defense that it had seemed like an over-active imagination at the time. Ichigo had claimed that he never went to his father during those three years, that monsters had kidnapped him and done terrible things to him. As childish as it had sounded at the time, now it was deadly serious. Something had happened to Ichigo in those three years, but no one knew what.

As class continued, police would open the door and call out the names of different students to come in groups for questioning. Orihime tried her best to pay attention to the lesson, but her mind kept wandering back to the few interactions she'd had with Ichigo before he died. Sure, everyone knew that Ichigo wasn't exactly a happy person, but no one thought he would do something like this in a million years. What had happened to cause Ichigo to want to end his life? Orihime thought back to the last time she'd talked to him, Monday. She'd seen slight bruising on his arms, but she'd assumed they were from fights. What else had she seen that was a sign of something else going on?

Thinking hard, Orihime realized that she had seen marks on Ichigo, specifically on his arms, but something told her they weren't the ones that Tatsuki had mentioned. She hadn't gotten a close look at them, but they looked kind of like cuts... Now she understood why they were nagging at her consciousness, they were deliberate and layered on top of older scars all along his arm. Orihime felt sick once she realized the implications of those marks. Ichigo had been hurting himself, and she had seen but hadn't looked closely enough. That was why Ichigo had freaked out, he thought she saw the cuts.

x

Orihime walked, legs automatically taking her back to the apartments as she did every day after school. So engrossed in her thoughts was Orihime that she barely noticed Chad walking beside her. School had been nothing but a painful whirlwind of whispering, questions, and guilt. Not only did everyone find out that so few knew anything about Ichigo, but now Ichigo had been missing for three years? Ichigo had never gone to Tokyo to live with his father, and apparently he didn't even have a father either, having been abandoned when he was born. The police had no idea where he'd gone or what had happened to him, but neither did anyone else. It seemed like his mother wouldn't be of much help either as she consistently lied to the police about every little thing.

Orihime didn't understand how something like this could happen. Everything had started off so normal, but now millions of burning questions held her captive.

Everyone had been off today after the news, so Orihime and Chad had decided to forgo going to the academy councilors in favor of trying to calm down and process everything. Orihime wasn't doing a very good job of it though and nearly walked out into the street before Chad stopped her.

"Careful." He rumbled quietly. Orihime gave him a small smile and thanked him, but returned to her thoughts. It seemed Chad was also preoccupied with his thoughts as well, because he didn't notice the same feeling of being watched that had been there in the morning. They walked for several minutes without incident, but at the next crosswalk, Chad felt an odd sensation that caused him to pause. For a moment, he felt the strong urge to turn around, but when he did he found nothing but the empty street behind him. Orihime glanced at him curiously, but Chad just shrugged. He didn't know why, but something more felt off today.

As the feeling grew, Orihime began to catch on as well. They started walking a little faster, Chad hovering protectively around Orihime as they neared the apartments. Hearing a small noise behind them, Chad finally stopped. Enough was enough.

"Who's there? We know you're following us." Chad called out. Silence followed, but a heart beat later a petite girl wandered out of the shadows beside a building with her hands up. Orihime thought she recognized the raven-haired stalker from the meetings she'd had at Shino Outreach, but it was strange to see her here.

"Ah, I'm awfully sorry for following you like that, I wasn't actually trying to follow you specifically..." She said sheepishly. Orihime was about to ask her what she meant, but Chad beat her to it.

"Then what were you trying to follow? There's no one here but us." Chad said. The girl plastered an innocent look on her face as she walked toward them in a decidedly friendly manner.

"I see that now, but at the time I thought that I'd seen something strange, so I was trying to follow it. It just so happened that you two were walking this way too." She explained. Orihime blinked. She sounded sincere, but what else had she seen here besides them?

"You two haven't seen or felt anything strange around here, have you?" She asked, voice suddenly serious as she intently studied them. Chad shook his head and Orihime shrugged.

"I did feel like something was watching me this morning, but I also got that feeling when you were following us, so I think it was just my imagination. Unless you were stalking us this morning too." Orihime said with what she thought was an accusatory look. It looked more like she was about to sneeze. The girl laughed nervously, but quickly covered.

"Ah, no. I guess I'm just a little paranoid what with all the weird stuff happening at the academy." She said. Orihime had almost completely forgotten about the academy incident what with everything that had happened to today. Seeing how the girl watched them for their reaction, Orihime thought it was an odd coincidence that she would mention something that involved the two of them like that. Weird.

"Yeah..." Chad said slowly. Feeling the silence grow a little awkward, the girl suddenly bowed.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, I realize I've forgotten my manners. Rukia Kuchiki, transfer student at Shino Outreach." Rukia said. Orihime and Chad bowed back, introducing themselves.

"Oh, you two go to Karakura High, don't you? How's school been going?" Rukia asked politely. Orihime paled and they both looked at each other. Rukia looked a little confused at their reaction. It wasn't Rukia's fault that she'd brought up a sore subject, she didn't know what had happened. Shifting nervously, Orihime decided to enlighten Rukia a little.

"Normally school is fine, it's just today everyone found out that a classmate of ours killed himself last Friday..." Orihime said. Rukia immediately sobered and gave them a sympathetic nod.

"I see. I'm so sorry for your loss." Rukia said. Orihime nodded back and Chad grunted. Deciding to change the subject, Orihime took a look at Rukia's school uniform.

"So you go to Shino Outreach... What's it like there?" Orihime asked. Rukia smiled, silently grateful for the lighter topic.

"It's pretty fun being at Shino Outreach, especially since I'm so new to everything in the Wor- in Karakura town." Rukia mildly stumbled before picking up again.

"My time here has been extremely educational, and I'm glad to say that I've become a permanent resident at Karakura to keep up with my... local duties."Rukia said. Orihime brightened a little.

"Local duties? Are you one of the students involved in assisting the exchange programs?" Orihime asked. Rukia gave a strangely secretive smile and answered.

"I do occasionally assist if I'm needed, but my job is to watch over the school's activities in Karakura town while I take care of ... academic threats to the students and residents in this town." Rukia said. Orihime gasped.

"So you're like an education power ranger, beating up evil school loans and school board budget cuts!" Orihime exclaimed as she jumped into a mock fighters stance. Rukia looked extremely confused as she grimaced slightly.

"Erm, yes, exactly whatever that was." Rukia said quickly. Chad shook off Orihime's strange analogy and questioned Rukia.

"I've never heard of that position before." Chad said, eyeing Rukia from beneath his shaggy bangs. Snorting, Rukia put a hand on her hip.

"That's because the last person in my position was an incompetent disgrace. Originally I was just going to be here for a short while until I completed my missio- er assignment, but I ended up being a replacement after the higher ups discovered just how lazy that man was." Rukia huffed.

"Wow, your school's really serious about that stuff." Orihime said. Rukia crossed her arms and nodded seriously.

"Of course we are! It's our duty to protect the souls of this town from any danger - academic danger." Rukia quickly added on. Chad looked at her closely. While her reasons for following them seemed a little questionable, she herself seemed on the most part to be a good person, even if a little strange. Nodding to himself, Chad decided he wouldn't question Rukia any further.

"It was nice meeting you, Rukia, but we do need to go." Chad said. Rukia nodded and Orihime gave her a smile.

"We'd stay and chat longer, but we have homework." Orihime said, holding up her bedazzled briefcase. Rukia's smile immediately dropped into an expression akin to wonder.

"That one looks just like the Wakame Ambassador!" Rukia exclaimed as she pointed to one of the sparkly figures. Orihime frowned as she inspected her bag.

"Oh, I have no idea who that is, but I was just coming up with designs when this one sort of stuck. It seemed familiar, and I thought it was cute, so I kept it." Orihime said. Rukia gasped and pointed to a rabbit on her bag.

"That one looks like Chappy! How did you get that snake to look so cute? Wait, is that a red panda?" Rukia chattered on, eyes sparkling as she inspected Orihime's bag. Orihime just laughed and answered all her questions. It seemed she liked cute things even more than Orihime.

"-and that's one of the ones Chad did. You really like all the designs? I thought people would think they were silly..." Orihime said. Rukia shook her head vigorously, face a little flushed from trying to hide just how infatuated she was with the creatures she obviously found adorable.

"No way! I'd be surprised it the Shinigami Women's Association didn't commission you directly." Rukia said, muttering the last part to herself with a thoughtful look.

"What's the Shinigami Women's Association?" Orihime asked. Rukia stiffened immediately before quickly answering.

"Ah! Just one of the associations tied with our mother school, Shino Academy. It's nothing." Rukia said with a flippant wave. Orihime shrugged and Chad said nothing. As strange as their initial meeting had been, Rukia did seem like a nice person, and they both liked her.

"We hope you enjoy your time in Karakura town, Rukia. Hopefully we'll see you soon." Chad said. Orihime nodded and gave Rukia a smile.

"Chad and I have been having meetings at the Outreach, so the next time we're there, we hope to see you!" Orihime said. Rukia's own smile faltered a little before coming back.

"Ah, I didn't know that. I have a feeling I will be seeing you two around a lot more if that's the case." Rukia said quietly. Orihime waved goodbye and ran to catch up with Chad.

"Well, that was weird, but she seemed nice." Orihime said. Chad hummed in response and continued to walk. Reaching the apartments, Orihime went to open the front door when she heard something rustling in the bushes to the side. Seeing that Chad had heard it to, Orihime gave him a look before opening the door quickly. Stepping inside, they both missed the sound of heavy breathing, warbled and inhuman, from the bushes.

Climbing up the stairs to her apartment, Orihime turned to Chad.

"I know we both said at school that we wanted some time to think, but would you maybe want to come to dinner at my apartment?" Orihime asked. She did still want some time alone, but it wasn't like she wanted to spend the entire rest of her day alone. She enjoyed Chad's company, and it was fairly normal for him to share dinner with her now. Chad nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea. It probably isn't best for anybody to be alone tonight." Chad said before surprising Orihime with a hug. She didn't realize just how badly she needed it until Chad was reassuring her, so she hugged back and resolved not to cry. Orihime pulled back.

"Okay, well, see you at dinner." Orihime said with a strained smile. Chad nodded and they both went into their apartments.

Orihime had planned on studying when she got home, but she didn't know if she could stand to tonight. She really wished that Tatsuki or even Keigo could have come over today, but they were with a group of students who were going to be questioned after school since they'd run out of time in class. Sighing, Orihime opened her textbooks. Even if she was feeling bad, she didn't want to slip behind in her studies. That was the deal, she got good grades and her relatives made sure to pay for the apartment and put her through school. It was a good deal and part of the reason Orihime worked so hard. She would just have to try her best to focus on her studies right now and not let herself become distracted.

Going through her textbooks one by one, Orihime studied for an hour or so before deciding to get a quick snack. Opening her fridge, Orihime went to pick something out before she heard a strange thump outside her window. Frowning, Orihime closed the door and went over to her window. Opening it, Orihime looked around, but only saw the empty blue sky and buildings beside hers. Nonetheless, she heard another noise from outside, a strange sort of growling. Leaning out to try and find the source of the noise, Orihime turned her head to the side only to come face to face with a pair of glowing red eyes.

Screaming, Orihime stumbled back into her apartment as the thing outside her window slithered in with her to tower over her. The creature looked humanoid from the waist up except for it's mask covered face, but the rest was like a snake where it's legs should have been. A large hole stood out from it's chest as it opened it's bone white jaws to speak.

"Orihime!" It screeched. Orihime screamed in return and ran for the door only for it to be blocked by the creature. Scrambling back, Orihime sobbed.

"What's the matter; don't you recognize me?!" It asked as it slithered towards her. Orihime ran to the window, but realized there was no way she was going to make it down without seriously hurting herself.

"How do you know my name?!" Orihime exclaimed, eyes wide as she clung to the window sill. The creature howled and smashed her table, prompting Orihime to flinch and scream again.

"I would ask you how you don't recognize me! Have you truly given up on any thought of me?! Do you no longer care?!" It screeched at her. Orihime was shaking as she looked desperately around for something she could use to defend herself with. Seeing nothing within reach that could do any real damage, Orihime made to dash from the window, but the creature intercepted her impossibly fast. Orihime screamed again as it shot out to grab her with one of it's massive clawed hands, crushing her in it's vice-like grip. Shoving it's face close to hers, Orihime could feel it's hot breath on her face.

Just then, the door to Orihime's apartment burst open as Chad rushed in. Seeing the creature, Chad froze and stared up at it before seeing Orihime.

"Orihime!" Chad yelled. The creature holding her howled and gathered itself up like a snake about to strike.

"STAY AWAY! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU AND THE REST OF HER FRIENDS HAVE TAKEN FROM ME!" It screamed manically. Orihime struggled to breath as it's grip on her tightened.

"P-please, don't hurt him." Orihime gasped. She cried out as it's grip tightened even more, cutting off her breath.

"DON'T HURT HIM?! But what about me - how many times have you let him and the rest of your friends hurt me?! You care more about them than your own brother!" It screeched, panting in rage. Orihime's eyes widened further, but she couldn't speak.

"Let her go!" Chad bellowed. He tried to run forward to save Orihime, but the creature moved suddenly, whipping him with it's tail to send Chad flying back into the wall. He landed with a crash, head snapping back to hit the wall. But it would take a lot more than that to stop him. Chad had tough skin, and it was now that he recalled it was this very trait that allowed him to fight so vehemently. He had promised to protect Orihime, so he'd use his tough skin for more than just defending himself. He used his fists to protect others.

These thoughts burning in Chad's mind, he got back up and clenched his fist. He needed to end this fight quickly before Orihime got hurt, so he planned on taking this creature out in one hit. Pouring all of his will into fist through his arm, Chad rushed the creature, swinging his fist faster than it could dodge. Feeling his fist connect with it's face, Chad felt something surge out of him to throw the creature back to slam into the wall hard enough to leave shudders. Orihime fell to the ground as the creature released it's grip on her. Briefly stunned, the creature remained immobile as Chad rushed to Orihime to see that she was mostly fine, even with a few scrapes and maybe some bruised ribs.

"Chad! How did you do that?" Orihime coughed out. Chad looked down at his arm and felt it tingling oddly. He had felt something when he'd punched that thing, his pride in his tough skin and desire to protect Orihime combined in some sort of power... No... something that drew power out from him. He felt it more clearly now, something in him that grew when he felt the need to fight. It was right there, roiling under his skin in an unseen force. Jumping back with Orihime, Chad watched the creature draw itself up again. He knew now if he fought that thing again, something more would come of his attacks than just a simple punch. He steadied himself again, focusing on the feeling of power he had. He had promised to protect Orihime, and he wasn't one to break promises.

"Uhnnnn, Why don't you see it, dear Orihime? Your friends are hurting me, they're hurting the only family you have left!" It screeched in rage, swaying slightly. Orihime looked closer at it, suddenly seeing the small sliver of mask where Chad had broken it. Orihime covered a sob with her hands when she saw the bit of face peeking out behind it.

'S-sora? But, but you're dead!" Orihime cried. Chad looked at her curiously. Orihime had briefly told her about Sora before, but he knew that Sora was long dead, let alone human. The creature snarled at her.

"Of course I'm dead! The only reason I haven't moved on is because I had to look after you from beyond! I heard your prayers from death, heard the stories and tears you gave to me as you lamented my loss. I just wanted you to be happy, but then you started going out again. You made friends, and you began to tell me about them. Soon they were the only thing you talked about - you hardly even prayed to me anymore! Your friends stole you away from me!" Sora screamed. Panting, it slithered closer.

"Now look at me! You did this to me! You abandoned me for your friends, and in loneliness I grew into what I am now - A MONSTER!" Sora screamed the last part as it bore down on them. Orihime screamed as Chad threw up his arm in defense, expecting to be thrown back as her friend crumpled. But instead a loud thump was heard while Chad remained exactly where he was. Dust clearing, Orihime was shocked to see that her brother was hissing in pain, cradling one of his monstrous arms while Chad's own had transformed into some sort of strange armor-shield. Standing up, Chad looked at his arm in fascination. He could feel the power in it as he experimentally clenched and unclenched his fist. Turning to Orihime, Chad gave her a thumbs up with his new arm. Orihime gave a nervous laugh before nearly passing out. Holding her steady, Chad faced Sora.

"You claim to be her brother, but you'r trying to kill Orihime. How is it that someone who had shown his sister such love could now want to kill her?" Chad asked. Sora growled.

"Didn't you hear a word I said?!" Sora screeched.

"No, but  _I_  did."

Sora whipped around in time to see a sword swinging down above his head. He barely managed to dodge as the owner leaped over him to stand next to Chad.

"Rukia?! What happened? Why are you here?" Orihime blanched at Rukia, completely different from when she had seen her outside. Rukia was now clad in a black kimono holding a katana, all traces of friendliness gone.

"Get behind me Orihime. You too, Chad." Rukia said. Chad shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I promised to protect Orihime. I'm not going to let you fight her brother alone." Chad said. Rukia frowned as she looked from Chad's arm to Sora.

"This was your brother Orihime?" Rukia asked. Orihime nodded.

"Yes, Sora died in a car accident when I was younger. Please,Ii know he wants to hurt me, but you can't kill him. I don't think he's in his right mind." Orihime pleaded. Sora howled as if to confirm Orihime's words. Rukia shook her head.

"I'm sorry Orihime, but that isn't Sora anymore. He's what us shinigami refer to as a hollow. When souls die, they go to a place called the soul society, but occasionally souls in distress or pain become corrupted and turn into hollows. Hollows prey on innocent souls - that hollow is not your brother anymore. There's nothing you can do to stop him from trying to kill you." Rukia said.

Orihime didn't know how to respond. It was just too much information. Surely what Rukia was saying didn't apply to her brother - Sora would never turn into something like this. But looking at him now and the way he coiled himself up to attack, Orihime realized that Rukia was at least right about one thing. Sora had said how he was in pain after he died, and when he came to her now she could feel how twisted and obsessive he was. Orihime couldn't help but feel guilty. He had become this because he felt that she had abandoned him.

"I don't care. If he is the way you say he is, then I need to explain to him what I feel so that I can ease his pain. It's not his fault that he became like this - I should at least try, and I can't just let you kill him!" Orihime explained. Rukia grit her teeth.

"You can't - he'll kill you before you get the chance. When I slice him with this blade, it won't be killing him. It will purify his soul so that him and any other souls he's eaten will be freed to go to the Soul Society or rejoin the cycle of rebirth. It will free him from his own corruption." Rukia said.

Orihime hesitated, but in that moment Sora rushed at Rukia with a scream. Blocking a swing from Sora's arm, Rukia leapt high above his head to aim a downward sword strike. Sora hissed and blocked Rukia's blade with a whip of his tail, throwing Rukia to the left to land in a crouch. Before Sora had the chance to go after her, Chad punched Sora from behind, causing him to fly forward. Hissing, Sora wriggled out from under some of the rubble that had come crashing down. Gathering himself up, Sora began to wildly thrash and weave about, taking advantage of his serpentine body to throw everyone away from him with his coils. However, he wasn't large enough to fill the whole room and succeeded in only pinning Chad.

Rukia put both her hands out before her and started muttering some sort of incantation, a red dot of glowing power gathering itself in her hand. Seeing what she was attempting to do, Sora spit a stream of some sort of substance from his mouth at Rukia. Rukia cried out as it hit her hands, severely burning her flesh and stopping her from finishing the spell. Sora was preparing to spit more acid at Rukia when Chad finally managed to push himself out of Sora's pin. Seeing that things were getting serious, Chad called out to Orihime.

"Run Orihime!" Chad called. Orihime hesitated, but she knew that staying meant she would only get in the way. Throwing open the door and running downstairs, Orihime tried not to listen to the strangled cries of her brother as he continued to fight. Panting with fear, Orihime flew down the stairs past the floors into the last hallway. She could still hear screaming and crashing, but one particular blood-curdling scream made her pause. She hated this, being unable to help or fight. Even if it was her brother, she still could have done something! Orihime didn't get the chance to struggle with any ideas of running back upstairs when she heard Sora's howling getting louder and louder. Orihime paled and began to run. Sora was coming for her.

She could hear him screeching her name as he shot forward, hot on her heels. Orihime felt herself running faster than she'd ever run before as she neared the front door. Freedom was minutes away, but so was Sora. Grabbing the handle, Orihime was slammed into the door before she could open it with so much force that it came off it's hinges as she was thrown out onto the street. That time Orihime definitely heard something break, but she was too busy trying to stay conscious to think about it.

"ORIHIME!" Sora screamed. He was bleeding heavily and more of his mask was missing, but he was still going strong.

Orihime didn't want this. She was scared, but she never wanted to fight against her own brother. Slowly getting up, Orihime bowed deeply, stunning Sora for a moment.

"I'm so sorry Sora, I never meant to cause you this pain. Please know that I still love you, and I miss you everyday whether or not I pray to you." Orihime said.

She stepped forward and Sora slithered backwards. Seeing Orihime walking towards him, arms outstretched and that serious look on her face she wore when she was telling him to take care of himself when she was younger wildly confused him. So many memories were assaulting him and it was just too much. Screaming at the unwanted feelings Orihime was bringing him, Sora came at Orihime. Screaming and throwing her arms out, Orihime felt only air on her arms as something new howled. Lowering her hands slowly, Orihime felt her heart stop as she saw another creature attacking Sora. All she could see was a blur of orange, black, and white as Sora desperately tried to shake the other creature from him, writhing around and screeching.

Stumbling out of the way to avoid Sora's thrashing, Orihime saw Chad come running out of the apartments. He was bleeding heavily and panting, but he was still standing. Not far behind was Rukia, but she was nearly doubled over, cradling a severely acid-burned side. Stumbling into Chad, Rukia let him put an arm around her as they ran to Orihime.

"What's going on?" Rukia coughed. Orihime tried to say something, but couldn't. Everything was happening so fast, it was hard to keep up. Watching Sora thrash, whatever was stubbornly holding onto him finally lost it's grip and was flung off to the side to painfully crash out of sight. Turning his attention back to Orihime, Sora screamed. Leaving Rukia to hold onto Orihime, Chad ran forward to block Sora with his arm. It was less effective this time, and Sora managed to bowl him over. Orihime felt time still as Sora prepared to kill the now defenseless Chad, jaws unnaturally wide as he went in for the kill. But Orihime had made a promise to Chad too.

Sora choked as he realized that he was sinking his teeth into Orihime, not Chad. Orihime had intercepted Sora despite Rukia's cries and now felt blood welling up from where Sora was biting her. Instead of screaming or crying, Orihime wrapped her arms around Sora's head in a warm embrace. Sora let out a strangled noise.

"I wasn't lying when I said how sorry I was. I may not have prayed to you as often as I used to, but it's not because I stopped caring about you. Really, it's the opposite. I didn't want to burden you with my grief and worries, so I resolved to tell you happy things, and my friends made me happy, so I told you about them. I thought it would make you happy, hearing about all of them and all the wonderful things in life. I will always love you Sora." Orihime said. Sora slowly opened his jaw, releasing Orihime. He was shaking.

"I knew that deep down, but hearing your prayers made me feel less lonely. It still felt like you abandoned me..." Sora whispered. Orihime gave Sora a kiss on the place where his face was peeking out from his mask. Sora shuddered and began to sob.

"Why is this so hard? I don't know what to feel!" Sora cried. Chad heaved himself up from the ground to speak.

"Loved. Orihime keeps your picture up in her home despite how sad it used to make her - you're not the only one who was in pain. Orihime grieved you for a long time, she still wears the hair pins you gave her so long ago as a sign of her love and remembrance. You protected Orihime once before, there's nothing stopping you from doing so again." Chad said. Sora placed his arms around Orihime, hugging her close to him.

"I, I don't want to be this anymore. I feel like... like I need to move on." Sora said. Rukia had managed to hobble to them, albeit leaning heavily on her sword and looking seconds away from passing out. She fell to her knees heavily, holding up her sword to Sora with one hand.

"Then use this. It will purify your soul and allow you to move on like you wish. If you don't, you will remain a hollow forever and almost certainly kill Orihime." Rukia said. Releasing Orihime, Sora tentatively took the blade in his clawed hands. Before he used it on himself, Sora used the sword to break away the rest of his mask to reveal his face. Turning back to Orihime, Sora reached out and held her one last time.

"I'd say to remember me, but I know you will. You've found some good friends, take care of each other. Goodbye..." Sora said quietly. Orihime did her best not to look away as Sora plunged the sword into his chest. Closing his eyes, Sora looked peaceful as his soul began to glow before fading away. Having done her duty, Rukia promptly passed out on the spot. Watching the last of her brother gently fade away, Orihime turned to her two friends. Rukia was already long gone, and Chad looked like he would soon follow. Rushing to him, Orihime tried to support him with her shoulder, but Chad's massive form ended up dragging her down.

"Wait, Chad, you've got to stay awake!" Orihime cried. Chad blinked lazily as Orihime held onto him, shaking him slightly.

"Sorry... so tired all of a sudden... guess my arm really used up my energy..." Chad said as he faltered. Panicking, Orihime watched helplessly as Chad closed his eyes and let his head fall back. Ignoring her own bleeding, Orihime took off her school coat and tried to staunch the bleeding but found that it was much worse than she had previously thought. She'd just lost her brother all over again, she couldn't loose her friends too! The last thing Sora had told her was to take care of each other, but Orihime didn't know how. She wished he was still here to help her, or that she had powers like Chad. Sobbing and holding onto her hair pins, Orihime remembered everything about the kindness her brother and friends had shown her and desperately wished she could do something to save them. A light tinkle made Orihime snap her head up. Was she imagining it, or did she feel... different? She could feel something stirring in her, and it felt immensely important. Silently reaching out, Orihime brushed up against something powerful, but she did not flinch. A warm tingly feeling enveloped her, and she suddenly realized her wounds were healing.

"What's happening?" Orihime asked aloud.

"We're healing you, silly!" A tiny voice said. Orihime shrieked and swatted something away from her head.

"Jesus! Don't hit Shuno!" Another voice cried. Orihime whipped around and shrieked again when she saw five tiny fairy-like creatures flying around trying to help the one she'd hit.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Who are all of you?" Orihime exclaimed. The one that was apparently Shuno waved her off as the rest helped him. A male fairy with black hair and a bandanna flew up to Orihime.

"We're Shun Shun Rikka - we each represent different parts of your powers, but right now we're focusing on healing you. Or we were until you bitch-slapped Shuno." He added with a glare. Orihime blinked. So she did have powers like Chad... How had that happened?

"Again, I'm sorry, but if you really are capable of healing, then can you heal my friends?" Orihime asked hurriedly. The male fairy snorted and crossed his arms.

"No time for introductions, huh?" He asked, looking somewhat annoyed. A female spirit sporting futuristic attire smacked the other.

"Rude! I thought you would have been eager for her to use her powers, Tsubaki!" She said before turning to Orihime.

"We can certainly do that, but first you need to know how to use us. We combine to conduct different abilities, but the two that you need for healing are Shuno and Ayame." She said, pointing to Shuno and a fairy girl that looked like she was wearing some sort of red origami dress much larger than her body. Shuno flew forward with Ayame.

"All you need to do is position us and say our names before saying the name of our ability, Soten Kisshun. After that, say 'I reject!' and we'll begin healing." Shuno said. Orihime nodded and looked over both her friends, choosing Rukia since she seemed to be in worse shape.

"Okay, Shuno, go by her head and Ayame go by her feet." Orihime said. They both did and Orihime began her kotodama.

"Shuno Ayame Soten Kisshun, I reject!" Orihime cried as she held her hands out on instinct. A pale yellow glow began emanating from the two to wash over Rukia, covering her in a healing light. Watching as Rukia began to heal, Orihime turned to the other fairies and listened closely as they explained who they were and what they all did, concluding that they manifested from Orihime's hairpins. Once Shuno and Ayame were done healing Rukia, Orihime used them to heal Chad as well. Watching her friends heal, Orihime sat back and let the full weight of the events of the day hit her. She'd gone from grieving for Ichigo to fighting her dead brother to gaining magical powers... Was this even real? Watching Chad's breathing becoming steadier as his wounds closed themselves, Orihime dropped her head into her hands and began to cry. As much as she wanted to banish these tears, she knew they were necessary. There had been plenty of times where the only thing she could do was to let the events of her day out with tears just so she could process everything. Shun Shun Rikka seemed to understand that this was something she needed to process on her own, so they turned away and let Orihime sort her heart out. But something else didn't know any better.

Orihime almost didn't hear the rustling behind her in her thinking, but when she did she whipped around. Tsubaki looked at her curiously and ushered over the fairies not healing to hover around Orihime's head. Peering into the bushes, Orihime could just barely make out a crouched figure. With a jolt, Orihime realized it must have been whatever had attacked Sora at the last minute. She'd completely forgotten about it what with Sora dying and her friends bleeding out. Maybe it was friendly?

"Hello? I know you're there... are you hurt? I can heal you..." Orihime offered, one hand held out in a friendly gesture as she tried her best to look nonthreatening. The creature in the bushes seemed undecided, pacing about the bushes slowly as it came forward only to skitter back in. Orihime could tell it was limping from the way it moved, but she didn't know if she could coax it out. Scooting closer, Orihime tried again.

"It's okay - I'm not going to hurt you. If you just come out, I can take a look at your injuries and heal you." Orihime said. Slowly, the creature began inching it's way forward, leaving the shadows. Orihime squinted as she tried to see it's face, but it was crawling on all fours to her, bone white limbs tentatively coming into the light. Orihime widened her eyes when she saw that it's hands were clawed despite the mostly humanoid shape. Was it another hollow? Why in the world would a hollow attack her brother? Orihime had no more time to question herself when she heard a loud groan behind her. The noise startled the creature and it hissed before dashing away.

"Wait!" Orihime called, but it was too late. Turning to her friends, Orihime saw that Chad was beginning to wake up. It looked like it might be a while before Rukia woke up. Taking one last look at where the hollow had been, Orihime began carrying her friends back into the apartments. She never saw the golden eyes watching her, nor the sunset mane of hair bristling as it reluctantly left the scene.

 

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I should have waited for Orihime to get her powers at a different time than Chad, but I really wanted to move things along.  
> If you guys recall from Bleach, Orihime and Chad got their powers not only as a result of Ichigo's power, but from the hogyoku in Rukia. And yet there's been not evidence of a hogyoku at all... Hmm, wonder what's going on?  
> The next chapter's gonna pick up with Ichigo again.  
> Let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 4: A State of Confusion

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Speech/thoughts_

**Chapter 4: A State of Confusion**

-x-

**Ichigo .?.?.?**

_Where was he?_

_What was this feeling?_

_Checkered handkerchiefs and smoky apartments, screaming drowning swimming. Rocks, pockets, choking, bruises._

_Who was he?_

_Nightmares, hands, water, eyes, crosses, a sword. Dark creatures, dim lights, school hallways, twisted limbs, claws._

_Is someone screaming?_

_Steel on steel, pain, fighting, death._

_The past was the present and the future flew by without his knowledge and now he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe and he felt heavy, movements sluggish._

_Everything was dark and he could feel something pulling him along, pulling him down as he struggled to fight._

Water erupted with splashing as he desperately fought the current dragging him down. Luckily he was near the bank, so he managed to drag himself back onto land where he lay heaving. As water finally left his system, he curled up into a ball and closed his glowing gold eyes.

_Hungry._

He was unbelievably hungry, the primal urge to fill that void overtaking the rest of the foggy thoughts trying to form in his head. He was hungry, but he didn't know what to do. Looking up at the sky, he dully noted in the back of his mind that it was night. A chill breeze began to dry him and he curled up tighter, trying to conserve some semblance of warmth. Sentient thoughts rarely pierced his strangely muddled mind, but feelings and instincts clearly stood out. He was scared, cold, and hungry.

Curling up tighter, he began rubbing himself, suddenly realizing that his hands were pale white and ended in wicked claws. But he wasn't phased. This was his body, so it was natural, if a bit confusing. Chewing at his claws anxiously, he spent several minutes just laying there until his hunger and cold became too much to ignore. Slowly uncurling and pushing himself up, he crouched with somewhat animalistic legs, the claws on his slightly-longer-than-human feet scraping the ground. Hugging himself, he barely noticed the hole in his bare chest, nor the strange black robes covering his legs from the bandages wrapped around his lower waist like a make-shift obi. Sniffing the air, he began to salivate as his bony jaws parted slightly to take in the aroma. It wasn't so much of a smell as it was a feeling that something edible was close.

Pacing on all fours, he began to head in the direction of the smell, pausing every now and again to sniff the air. Eventually he didn't need to do that anymore as he became used to using his instincts to track down his prey. Hunger growing, he began to crawl faster, eventually breaking into a run back in the direction the river had taken him from. Slowing down, he began to make out lights in the distance different from the sparse dots of light coming from the random buildings and houses spread out across the landscape. Coming closer, the buildings and houses surrounding the river became more frequent as well as larger, far less fields and forests interrupting the pattern of civilization. Turning around in a circle, he realized that he was close to the source of the smell, but didn't see anything.

He didn't want to leave the river, but he needed to eat, and soon. Again, instinct won out and he cautiously crept past houses to wherever the smell and feeling seemed strongest. Finding himself in a dark street, he traveled along it until it became lit up in patches by streetlamps. Sticking to the shadows, his senses told him something was waiting up ahead. Peering out past several patches of light, he could just make out a small figure under one of the lights. Scuttling quickly into some bushes, he silently approached the figure while making sure not to make so much as a whisper of noise.

He stopped when he realized what the figure was. It was a little girl with long black hair braided thickly down her back. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress, but it was offset by splatters of blood as she hummed a nursery rhyme. Adjusting a little so her back was no longer completely to him, he could see that she had a chain coming from her chest to drag at the ground by her bare feet. He subconsciously reached to touch his own chest at the suddenly empty feeling that washed over him.

He was confused, this little girl did smell somewhat good to him, but it was nothing like the smell he'd gotten earlier. She felt... weaker. Even so, any food was better than nothing, so he should eat her, right? But again, feelings stood out. This time he didn't choose instinct as he watched the little girl swing her arms and hum into the night. Looking at her, something stirred in him, a feeling of familiarity or nostalgia, but something else immediately squashed that feeling tingling at the back of his mind. Dark and oppressive, it made him clutch his head and shake it, throwing spiky locks of long orange hair around.

The sound of movement didn't go unnoticed by the little girl and she stopped humming to turn around.

"Hello? Is someone there?" She called out. He held his breath. Some ancient fear in him made his hair stand on end and his chest tighten as he resisted the urge to run away. Another feeling was there, and it made him want to go to that little girl.

He was lonely.

Shuffling in the bushes a little, he slowly made his way out of the foliage. The little girl squinted, unused to the dark as she peered at his pitch-black silhouette. He continued to move forward slowly, taking his hands up off the ground so he could walk normally. The little girl backed away as she saw him growing taller, revealing his true height. Coming into the light, he took a step towards the little girl who was frozen. Whatever spell holding her there broke when she looked into his glowing eyes and screamed.

Frightened, he matched her scream in a double-toned warble as he flinched and shot back into the darkness. He watched helplessly as she ran away from him down the street, loud shrieking making him cover his ears as he keened in pathetically. No questions formed in his mind, but he was confused. He briefly got the idea that he looked scary, but it was shoved back by heavy sadness as his hope of companionship with another creature fled. He didn't want this terrible feeling, he just wanted to be near somebody, anybody. Clawing at himself, he began to rock back and forth, letting the pain from his claws raking down his back and shoulders soothe him. It felt like an old habit, familiar and practiced. This time he didn't chase after that feeling of familiarity, letting it fade away with the rest of his rationality.

He was nothing but a tightly wound bundle of feelings and instinct, and it was a tossup over which one would win half the time.

Finally ceasing his miserable keening and rocking, he looked at his blood stained hands with wide eyes. Terrible sickness washed over him, but no memories came. He was incapable of such things anymore, and it made him feel like something was missing, even if that something was painful to him. He wanted it nonetheless, but something else held him back, kept him in this state.

_Hungry._

It was becoming a mantra for him as he searched around. The previous feeling of prey had faded a little, but he still knew where to look. Snuffling around the street, he barely noticed as the wounds he'd caused slowly closed themselves. Circling around, he finally picked up the scent again and leaped off in it's direction. Flying through the air, he climbed over houses and buildings, pushing himself off anything he could grab as the wind howled in his ears. It was thrilling to be able to move this fast as this too felt practiced, familiar. He was unnaturally used to this body, but he didn't question it. Lighting atop a street lamp in a crouch, he huffed slightly as he looked around. It was clear that this was a city, but what city he didn't know. That wasn't all that concerning since he didn't really seem to know anything anyways, so he just gazed at all the different houses and buildings, searching for something to eat.

Movement to the side of him caught his attention and he turned to see a door opening on one of the houses. Hissing slightly, he drew himself up on the street lamp, ready to attack, but he was completely ignored. A man carrying a trash bag didn't even look up at him as he walked down to the street, muttering to himself.

"Take out the trash, Saalzui. Wash the dishes, Saalzui. Wash the dishes yourself, Kari..." He muttered. Lifting up the lid to a garbage bin, he dumped his garbage bag inside and closed the lid.

Shifting atop the street lamp, the curious spectator lowered himself to the ground. Cautiously coming forward, he was surprised when the man didn't react. Giving a short bark, he scuttled back as he watched the man for a reaction. When none came and the man continued to walk back to his house, his new stalker began wildly waving his arms about directly in his path. The man just continued to walk, staring ahead as if no one was there. Sighing, the man closed the door, shutting down his stalker's attempts at getting his attention. Somewhat confused that the man hadn't even acknowledged his existence, he growled to himself. It was becoming somewhat clear that people would have very different reactions to him. Shaking his head, he went to sniff the garbage bin when he heard a scream in the distance. Stiffening, he recognized that scream. It was the little girl who could see him.

Jumping off in the direction of the scream, he tasted the air and realized he was also heading in the direction of the smell he'd been chasing. Whizzing past the different houses and streets, a shrill howl not unlike his own nearly stopped him in his tracks. Loud and malicious, it riled something up inside him and he ran faster.

Coming to a darkened street, he came across a hulking creature standing on two legs as two sets of arms swung wildly at the little girl desperately trying to dodge them. She shrieked in terror as one arm swung down at her, but it never hit her.

The creature screamed as his assailant sank his teeth into it's arm, realizing this was the prey that would sate his hunger. Blood welling around his teeth, he growled and viciously tore at flesh until he was pulled off by one of the giant's other arms. Twisting around in it's grip, he raked one of his hands down it's arm, claws slicing open it's arm with deadly intent. It screamed again and dropped him, stumbling back. It's large white mask was contorted in rage as it spit at him.

"Agh! Why you little - !" It was stopped mid sentence as he threw himself at it again, swiping at the creature's mask to tear away a large chunk. It screeched in pain and held it's bleeding face as he jumped back to the ground, orange hair puffed up where it made a faux mane trailing down his neck. Wailing, the creature suddenly seemed to realize it might not be completely prepared for this fight.

"Renny! Reeeeeeeennnny!" It wailed into the night until a heavy presence crashed down on the three figures. Sniffing the air again, the orange puff ball realized that was why this area smelled so strong. There was more than one creature here.

"What is it now, Jenja?! You can't handle one stinking plus?!" The one called Renny hissed. Unlike the other, Renny was smaller and more humanoid. Renny was still much taller than even the tallest human, but he wasn't a monster like Jenja. Dark blue markings stained his mask, running down his jaw to disappear into the hole in his neck.

"That little bastard attacked me - look what he did!" Jenja wailed as he showed his mutilated face. Renny winced. It was pretty serious to rip off part of a hollow mask. Snarling and turning to Jenja's attacker, Renny inspected him.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to Jenja, and ruining our hunt. Just who the hell do you think you are?!" Renny exclaimed as the smallest hollow hissed.

The sound of human speech stirred something in him, but again he couldn't make the right connection. He knew what the words meant and what Renny was saying, but it was still like they were hitting a wall. It made his head hurt, but something about what Renny had said felt extremely important, so he focused on those words.

Just who the hell do you think you are?!

Who are you?!

Who...

He knew that these thoughts were not welcome in his head as something pushed harder to squash them, but he rebelled even more. He needed this, needed something to ease this horrible nagging confusion. He had to know at least some part of himself, even if it was something as simple as just a name. Something other than the vague feelings and instincts that barely gave him an impression of who he was. He felt something in him twist a little, shift as his desperation grew. Finally, it gave.

Orange hair.

Fighting.

Protecting.

Steely eyes.

These were all things that belonged to something... To some person...

But he was that person. He was...

"I...chi...GO!" He ground out, howling at the last part. With a scream to match, Renny and Jenja attacked him. Jenja used his massive arms to keep Ichigo moving while Renny stopped him from escaping. Dodging a swing from Jenja, Ichigo leapt at Renny to try and strike him. Dodging, Renny tried to kick Ichigo in the face, but he was too fast and dropped down into a crouch to shoot out from under Renny's legs. Howling in frustration, Jenja tried to stomp on Ichigo only to nearly crush Renny.

"Watch it Jenja! Attack him, not me!" Renny snarled. Jenja just howled again and swung at Ichigo with one of his massive arms. Dodging easily, Ichigo jumped back to distance himself from the two. It was obvious even in his highly instinctual state that the two didn't work together very well, so Ichigo jumped up to bite one of Jenja's flailing limbs.

"Aaaagh!" Jenja screamed. Wildly stomping around in pain, Jenja tried to dislodge Ichigo from his arm by throwing his limbs around. Renny frantically tried to dodge Jenja's flailing as Ichigo stubbornly held on. Tripping on his own partner, Jenja fell backwards to crash into the street with a loud boom. Seeing Jenja vulnerable, Ichigo let go of his arm and shot towards his neck, sinking his teeth in deep to jerk his head to the right, ripping open his neck to spurt blood on him. Jenja screamed as Ichigo dug into his massive neck, ripping and tearing with everything he had.

Jumping back to let Jenja bleed out and thrash, Ichigo made it just in time to dodge a strike from Renny. It was obvious that Renny was stronger than Jenja, but it was becoming clear that he was no match for Ichigo. Dodging another attack from Renny, Ichigo jumped up to kick out at Renny's face. He was too fast for Renny to dodge, but he did manage to get his arms up to block Ichigo's foot from connecting as he was thrown back. Rushing in again, Ichigo managed to land a swipe on Renny's side as he screamed in frustration. Renny didn't leave Ichigo room to strike again as he struck out with a strange attack.

Ichigo jumped back, surprised. Renny had gathered some sort of energy in his hand and used it as he swiped to cover his hand, most likely burning whatever he touched or at least severely damaging it. Something tickled at the back of Ichigo's mind, but he didn't have any time to dwell on it as Renny attacked again. Leaning right to avoid an uppercut strike, Ichigo grabbed Renny's arm and brought him over his shoulder to slam him into the ground. Howling, Ichigo tried to rip open Renny's stomach, but he rolled out of the way. Giving a back hand strike that cracked Renny's mask, Ichigo dully recognized that he was getting faster.

Renny stumbled back with a cry of pain as Ichigo jumped on his back to bite down on his neck savagely. Renny screamed and frantically tried to remove Ichigo, but he wouldn't budge no matter how Renny scratched at him or burned him with energy. Swiftly jerking his head, Ichigo felt a loud crack from Renny's neck as he crumpled to the ground.

Releasing Renny, Ichigo stood up tall and placed a clawed foot atop his corpse. Leaning his head back, Ichigo released an ear-shattering howl that carried loong and loud into the night.

**_Victory._ **

The sudden silence was broken only by Ichigo's own heavy breathing and quiet crying from behind him. Remembering the girl that the two hollows had been attacking, Ichigo turned around to see the little girl backed up against a picket fence at the side of the road. She was shaking badly as tears streamed down her face, watching Ichigo with wide, terrified eyes. He felt empathy stir in him as she cried, so he crouched low and tried to crawl to her to maybe try and comfort the little girl, but instead she screamed.

Flinching back, Ichigo hissed slightly and backed away from her. Sobbing, she finally screwed up the courage to pick herself up and run. Ichigo felt the instinctual urge to chase after her thanks to the adrenaline of his fight, but refrained. He felt... upset. And angry. He wanted to go to that girl, but he could tell she was scared of him, so instead he paced around irritably, blood dripping off of him.

_Hungry._

Growling, Ichigo turned to the two hollows he had killed. Feeling their energy draining, he quickly hopped over to their corpses, mouth watering. Starting with Jenja, Ichigo made quick work of devouring the two hollows, hungrily tearing them apart to consume their souls and free all the other's they had eaten before. Feeling their energy filling him, Ichigo drew himself up to his full height and closed his eyes. He could feel strength returning to him that he'd never even realized was missing. Letting out a long sigh, he could still feel hunger gnawing at him and knew he would have to eat more. Thoughts turning back to hunger and hunting, all the feelings and thoughts that had come with the revelation of his name left him.

He was Ichigo, but he didn't really know what that meant. He couldn't remember himself or even what it was to be human, but his soul wasn't meant to be a mindless beast. He still had one thing all other hollows lacked; heart.

x

Ichigo growled. It had been nearly a day since he had found any hollows as strong as the first two he had encountered, weak appetizers being the only thing he had eaten. It was completely unsatisfying, and now to top it off someone was trying to catch him.

He had been innocently tearing apart his screaming prey when he felt someone approaching. Quickly devouring the hollow, Ichigo had hid himself in a tree, watching curiously as a petite girl wearing black robes not all that dissimilar to his (though wearing a top, unlike him) landed in the place he had just been. Pacing around, she looked at his bloody work and pulled something out of her robes to take a swab of the blood in various places. She then pulled out a phone and took a picture before looking around. Ichigo had held his breath then and stayed stock still, hoping she would leave soon.

He'd figured out a while ago that normal humans couldn't see him, but hollows and people with chains in their chests or strange abilities could. After the rather unpleasant meeting with the little girl, Ichigo had avoided anybody that he thought had a chance of seeing him and subconsciously began hiding his signature. He sort of knew that he was preventing others from sensing him the same way he sensed them because it made him slightly sick when he did it for too long, but he didn't really understand how to control it properly. It was practiced and habitual to him, but he didn't have any memories of making it into a habit, All he knew was when he was scared, he could make it so that others didn't find him. And he was always scared.

He'd watched her walking around, muscles stiff and ready to run at any moment, but she never found him. After a while, she just left and he could breathe a little freer. It was deeply unsettling to have to hide from everyone just so he could eat, but Ichigo instinctively knew he'd hide even if he didn't need to. Everything scared him, small noises, movement, people. He was twitchy and on edge all the time. That's why he kept moving all the time, never staying in one place for too long or hunting in the same pattern.

Pacing around, Ichigo could feel his hunger sharply. It was different than normal human hunger, but it also didn't feel like the hunger he got from other hollows. It wasn't like satisfying a constant itch, it was like trying to fill up a tank that had long been empty. He wasn't eating just because he was hungry, he was eating because it was healing him. He knew that he wasn't normally this weak, but he couldn't figure out why he was like this either.

He could feel thousands of scars layering his body, but those had healed. It was something inside, an emptiness that spoke of a different kind of wound, one that had been antagonized for years. It made his soul hurt in an unnatural way...

Hearing a hollow scream in the distance, Ichigo snapped to attention.

Ichigo would have grinned if his mask allowed it. The hollow he was sensing smelled absolutely delicious - it was powerful. Leaping off towards the sound, Ichigo landed in a parking lot to see a large hollow prowling around. What interested him the most though was a strange rip that was opening up in the sky. While the other hollow remained unaware of his presence, Ichigo crept closer to get a better look at it. He could sense something else beyond it, a place that called to him and drew him nearer. Dull memories flickered in his mind, but they never registered.

The hollow that had been prowling around seemed to be waiting for it to open up all the way (it was pretty massive), but now that it was big enough for the hollow, it stepped through the rip to disappear. Now Ichigo was faced with an important decision. He could follow the hollow through so he could kill and eat it, or he could stay here in the place he was familiar with.

Deciding with a growl, Ichigo took a running leap and sailed through the rip before it had the chance to close on him.

He was more than a little surprised when he landed on sand, slowly sinking into it as he looked around at the desert surrounding him. It was night here, glowing moon piercing the inky sky. The feeling he got here was strange, homey and familiar as the soft sand shifted around him in a strangely life-like way despite the desolate surroundings. At the same time, fuzzy pin-pricks of fear scratched at the back of his mind like a bad memory, giving him the distinct feeling that something dreadful had happened here and he just couldn't recall what. Even if it stirred up old fears and a great deal of caution, he could sense billions of hollows spread out all over this world ranging from weaklings to beings far above what he felt he could consider prey. In other words, a buffet.

Tracking down the hollow he'd followed, Ichigo watched it for a few moments, carefully stalking a safe distance away from it. This one didn't seem to be sentient like the first hollows he had encountered, but it still held just as much power. After making sure nothing else was around, Ichigo swiftly cuffed the hollow over it's mask hard enough to crack it and stun the unsuspecting hollow before biting down on it's neck viciously, snapping it with a jerk of his head. He'd been using the same set of attacks for a while now to kill his prey as it was pretty effective for a wide range of hollows. Devouring the fallen hollow, Ichigo realized if he wanted to make more kills like this, this world was the ideal place to do it. This world would serve as his hunting grounds while he regained whatever amount of strength he had lost, and any other hunter that wanted to share this territory would have to fight him for his kills.

Giving a low growl, Ichigo cast out his senses all around him. It wasn't in his nature to brazenly claim so much land, but he would make his prey  _his_. If he chose a hollow, it would be _his_  kill, and in that way this territory would be his. He really didn't care if other hollows hunted in it, this world seemed far too big for him to rule over all of it and control every hollow, so he wouldn't. Weaklings could hunt each other as much as they pleased, so long as they didn't interfere with his hunting, he was fine. He only needed this place for as long as he was wounded inside, eventually he would satisfy his hunger and...? And what? His lizard brain was perfectly capable of being a cunning hunter, but complex thoughts about his future and what would happen when he no longer needed to hunt were muted and deemed unimportant by his instincts. He got a vague feeling that something would change at that point, but it wasn't exactly a major concern of his.

_Hungry._

That was a major concern of his. Sniffing around, Ichigo picked out the different signatures in his vicinity, cocking his head curiously to the side when he felt a cluster of stronger signatures chasing another. What they were chasing felt much more powerful than all of them, but looser and more... simplistic. Deciding it was worth his time, Ichigo tracked down the signatures, hearing them before he got a chance to see them. Several hollows of varying size were attacking a hollow Ichigo had never seen before. As tall as a skyscraper, the hollow they were chasing stumbled around with no discernible limbs under it's long black cloak-like body as it let loose several screams from it's white mask sporting a uniquely elongated nose. A couple of the spikes adorning the place where it's shoulders would have been were missing, but other than that it appeared to be unscathed. As their fight continued, Ichigo began to see why.

Even though the regular hollows seemed to be coordinating their attacks as well as using their superior speed and numbers to try and wound their prey, it had an attack of it's own. Opening it's mouth, a red dot of light would form and expand before shooting out in a powerful laser. One such laser managed to catch one of the normal hollows, shearing off half of it's body to leave a gaping hole. The others cried out, but had no intention of helping their fellow hunter. It was kill or be killed here.

A large purple skinned hollow appearing to be the group's leader called out to the others.

"Kuichi, go take Mungers' spot! When I give the signal, we flank 'im!" He called. The one called Kuichi quickly took up his position while the others continued to chase the taller hollow.

"This is crazy, Gendba! Gillians are still too strong for us to kill, even if we draw one out and isolate it! We shoulda never lis - " The complaining hollow was cut off as the gillian caught him in a swipe, bony hands revealed from underneath it's cloak as it tore him apart.

"Anyone else gonna complain, or are we gonna focus?!" Gendba called out. The others swallowed and continued to try and flank the gillian without getting caught in it's attacks.

"Alright! This is it, atta - !"Gendba never got to finish his signal as Ichigo flew straight into the gillian, bringing it to the ground as he ripped chunks of flesh from it.

Shocked, the other hollows could only watch as Ichigo dodged another beam of red light to rip at the gillian. Since it was far too big to kill the way he had with other hollows, Ichigo began devouring large chunks of it whole as it struggled beneath him, focusing on the neck and mask in an effort to kill it. When it's bony hands came up to try and drag Ichigo off, he ate those too. It's struggling quickly faltered as Ichigo sapped it's strength, energy filling him with every bite. Finally, the monstrous gillian stopped fighting all, completely still as Ichigo continued to feast. This hollow was indeed filling as it was made up of billions of other hollow souls.

Barely even panting, Ichigo stood up as he tried to figure out the best way to continue eating. While he had started eating it's mask in an effort to kill it, continuing to do that now seemed somewhat... wrong.

"What... the fuck."

Ichigo turned to look at his audience, hollows staring at him in a dumbfounded silence. It had taken them months to be able to lure a gillian from the Forest of Menos, and when they had it had been one hell of a fight. They had arrogantly thought that if they fought in a large enough group, they could take one down and consume it, further evolving. Instead of quickly dispatching it like they had thought, they instead ended up losing half their numbers and having to chase the gillian far away from their hiding spot in Hueco Mundo. They had thought for sure they were going to die, but then this hollow shows up out of nowhere and starts  _eating it alive_. This newcomer hadn't even been phased by the gillian's attacks, quickly killing it by way of devouring and standing up to show that he was completely unhurt.

It was absolutely shocking to them. This hollow didn't even look all that threatening, even a little cute when his orange hair got all puffed up and you forgot that he'd just  _eaten a gillian to death_. He was much smaller than them, about as tall as a young human, and his proportions were completely humanoid despite his slightly longer legs and almost canine feet slipping out from his robes. Looking closer though, they could see scars covering his body in various shapes and sizes speaking of many battles and even something slightly... surgical. Angry red markings covered the right side of his mask, somewhat covering up the spidery cracks in his mask coming from various scars. It was actually pretty disturbing to see a hollow with scars on it's mask because it meant someone else had been tampering with that hollow, breaking and cutting apart pieces in a truly cruel level of torture. They'd heard rumors of hollows leaving the Forest of Menos into the deserts of Hueco Mundo only to be kidnapped and experimented on by the ruling class, but they hadn't believed them until now.

"Uh, you feel like sharing...?" One of the hollows called out meekly. Ichigo snarled at them in a clear indication of his answer.

_Mine._

Gendba cursed to himself. This hollow in front of them was obviously too powerful for them to try and defeat, so they had no choice but to let him devour the gillian. They could only hope that this hollow got full before he finished and would leave them some scraps. Ichigo finally decided he'd just start from the bottom and work his way up when an enormous pressure fell on the group of hollows, forcing all but him to the ground. It made him sweat a little, but that feeling left him as he rose his own energy to pad the air around him so he could breathe freely. Releasing his own energy made the feeling of sickness he'd gotten quite used to fade a little as he struggled to keep himself from releasing more. It was easy to just clamp down on everything and force every little bit inside him since it was habit (albeit a sickening, somewhat painful habit that left him achy), but trying to control how much he let out was extremely difficult.

It took few moments to release enough to make it easier to withstand the pressure, but he did it. Ichigo didn't actively know that he could do that, but he was at least a little aware that he had power he was desperately storing away. Why else would it hurt him to try and keep his energy at bay? It had slowly been getting harder as Ichigo ate more and more hollows, leading him to instinctively feel that the energy he currently had was massively depleted.

Turning to defensively crouch by the gillian, Ichigo watched as a group of people suddenly appeared in a flash. The group mostly consisted of identical white soldiers masked like a hollow, but appearing human. Two figures stood in front of the group, a man clad similarly to the soldiers but sporting a bull-like mask and a strange blue haired man looking rather bored. Stepping forward, the bull masked one began addressing the hollows and Ichigo.

"As is known by all who enter Hueco Mundo, we are the Exequias and represent the Las Noches Imperio in our actions. I am Rudbornn Chelute, leader of the Exequias. You have illegally killed a foot soldier of the menos, who if you recall, make up Hueco Mundo's hollow army. Such an act - " The blue haired man with a mask fragment on his jaw interrupted.

"Ugh, they know all that already! When the hell am I gonna get to kill somebody?!" He complained with a growl. Rudbornn turned to him with a glare.

"While you may not care about the doings of lower-level hollows, Espada, it is my job to ensure that crimes such as these are properly taken care of. Or did you forget it was Reina Tier Harribel's orders that no hollow hunt or kill a gillian while in the deserts of Hueco Mundo?" Rudbornn asked contemptuously. The other simply growled and waited as Rudbornn continued his speech.

"Luring and hunting a gillian in Hueco Mundo is illegal as it threatens the arrancar residing here as well as the various emissaries visiting Hueco Mundo's courts. The punishment for such a crime without sufficient reason is death. All of you have already been confirmed to be guilty of this crime. Which of you killed the gillian?" Rudbornn asked. Several fingers shot up to point at Ichigo. Ichigo hissed menacingly and put a clawed foot on top of the gillian.

_Mine. My food._

"It was him, we just, er, found them like this after you know, all the noise and stuff." One of the hollows in the back said. Gendba smacked his forehead. Rudbornn huffed.

"This hollow is clearly not working with the lot of you otherwise he would be sharing his kill. It looks like to me, you lured a gillian illegally into Hueco Mundo where a stronger, less sentient hollow managed to kill this gillian while it was suffering the wounds you gave it. Hollows incapable of human intelligence cannot be faulted for simply taking advantage of a situation, no matter the crime. You, on the other hand, can just as well be blamed." Rudbornn said. The group of hollows began to protest before Gendba shut them up.

"With all due respect, we weren't purposefully trying to lure the gillian into Hueco Mundo's deserts, we were trying to isolate it from the rest of the Menos. It happened to escape into the desert, so we followed. We really didn't kill this gillian, it was actually about to probably kill us when this orange freak came out of nowhere and  _ate it to death_." Gendba said.

Rudbornn glanced at the blue haired man. He in turn was inspecting Ichigo as Ichigo not-so-subtly was slurping up the rest of the gillian. Feeling their eyes on him, Ichigo stopped to turn and look at them. Seeing the strange marks and scars on his mask, the blue haired man suddenly grew curious.

"You say this hollow came out of nowhere?" He asked. Gendba nodded. The blue haired man turned to Rudbornn.

"Looks like one of pinkie's experiments escaped. Go bring orange sherbet to the palace so we can take a look at 'im. Seems one of the subjects finally stabilized." He said. Rudbornn nodded and gave an order to his soldiers.

Seeing the soldiers moving in on him, Ichigo quickly finished his meal before leaping back to howl at them. Deciding they weren't very good prey, Ichigo turned and began to run. Unfortunately, the soldiers also seemed to possess a good amount of speed and ended up flashing directly into his path. Growling, Ichigo pushed off the air with a loud boom to shoot high above the soldiers heads, passing them in a blur as they gave chase. Looking behind, Ichigo could see that the blue haired man had already killed the group of hollows left behind and was now trailing behind Rudbornn. Seeing a soldier catch up to him, Ichigo dropped down suddenly, surprising the other by dragging him down with. While the soldier struggled in his grip as they fell, Ichigo's strength won out quickly and he snapped the soldier's neck. Letting his corpse hit the ground, Ichigo dodged another soldier who wisely had his sword drawn. Rolling away, Ichigo changed tactics, jumping up directly into the middle of the soldiers. Kicking out and biting anything that moved, Ichigo used his claws to block their blades as he fought in a blur. He didn't realize it at the time, but he was getting much faster as the energy regained from the gillian served him well.

Eventually he had wounded and killed enough soldiers that he felt it was safe to leave. Howling in warning, Ichigo bounded away from the fight in an orange streak ordinary hollows wouldn't be able to track.

"Heh, slippery little bastard. Maybe this stupid mission'll actually turn out to be fun!" The blue haired man exclaimed before bounding after Ichigo.

"Refrain from killing him, Grimmjow! He has proven worthy of testing and inspection by the Exequias!" Rudbornn called. Grimmjow paid no mind as he caught up with Ichigo, sword still in it's sheath to prolong their fight.

"Gotcha ya little bastard!" Grimmjow grinned as he struck out at Ichigo in an attempt to grab his arm.

Twisting, Ichigo flashed away in a move slightly different than Grimmjow's. Grimmjow flashed after, swinging his blade at Ichigo in an attempt to test him. Ichigo dodged the sword, leaning out to aim a kick at Grimmjow's stomach. Grimmjow dodged lazily and grinned. Ichigo hissed. As much as he was itching to follow his instincts and fight this man, he knew he should be hunting down hollows and eating them to regain his strength until he was back to full power. Staying here would only prolong that, he needed to escape. So Ichigo decided to try something that had been nagging at him ever since he'd seen that hollow open up a tear in the sky. Growling, Ichigo drew himself up to his full height and faced Grimmjow. Thinking Ichigo was going to start fighting him more seriously, Grimmjow's smile grew and he threw his head back to laugh maniacally.

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere! Let's see if you prove as interesting as pinkie's other su - " Grimmjow was interrupted by a swipe from Ichigo, claws raking the air to tear apart reality. It wasn't quite like the other hollow's portal, much smoother as the sky rippled around it. A strange empty wind blew from the opening rift to wildly play with Ichigo's orange locks. Grimmjow hopped back from the wind, shielding his face with both arms as he cursed.

Sensing that the portal was extremely unstable and would be closing soon, Ichigo jumped, sailing through to leave the safe sandy dunes of Hueco Mundo behind for inky emptiness.

x

_He couldn't breathe._

_Darkness pressed in on him from all sides as he struggled to move in the oppressive emptiness._

_This wasn't what he wanted, this was nothing like the portal the other hollow had opened up. This wasn't where he was trying to go, this was a mistake and now he was trapped._

_Ichigo tried to scream, but nothing came out. Sound didn't exist in this empty void._

_He could see his limbs flailing around him as he tried to get purchase on something, but there was nothing to hold onto. This place was absolutely nothing, and he would become the same if he stayed for too long._

_Panic filled his chest as the tickly pricks of familiarity in the back of his head rattled around, coming loose thanks to the overwhelming feeling he had been here before. He could feel them trying to escape as the screaming in his head told them to get back into their box, but they wouldn't. It was just too much. One moment he was tiny and scared in this terrible empty, the next he was large and powerful as he displaced the emptiness to let something else through. He was being thrown into a billion different places and times as memories slipped from the back of his mind to dance before his eyes. Terrible and beautiful images flowed through him only to be shoved back down before the next began._

_Checkered handkerchiefs and smoky apartments, screaming, drowning, swimming._

_Rocks, pockets, choking, bruises._

_Nightmares, hands, water, eyes, crosses, a sword._

_Dark creatures, dim lights, school hallways, twisted limbs, claws._

_Steel on steel, pain, fighting, death._

_He could feel the screaming pulling all these things back into him as it clawed at Ichigo's name, but Ichigo refused to relent. That was his, and he had earned it. Pulling and pushing back, Ichigo fought and clung to what little portion of himself he could from his unraveling mind._

_Checkered handkerchiefs and smoky apartments._

_His name was Ichigo._

_Everything else was being stuffed down in a losing battle, but that wasn't the only thing Ichigo was losing. He needed to get out of here, but he didn't know how. The small images and smells he was holding onto tugged at him and he followed, desperate for anything to take him from this place._

_Immersing himself in the blue pattern and smoky smell, Ichigo reached his hands out to try and catch them. Like an anchor, they dragged him away from the emptiness, sunlight filtering through the darkness to reach him. Touching it, Ichigo realized where he was going and latched onto that place as well._

_The pull became much stronger, and suddenly Ichigo was flying out of the darkness._

x

Ichigo screamed into the sky as he fell, wind tugging at him. Clawing at air, Ichigo managed to slow himself down a little before he crashed to the ground. Bouncing a little, Ichigo finally rolled to a stop. He panted as he lay there on his back, chest heaving.

_Checkered handkerchiefs and smoky apartments._

He still remembered them from his time in the empty, but he had no idea what they meant now. Feeling the sun on him, Ichigo lay there panting for some time as he calmed down. He could still feel the horrible emptiness trying to drag him down, so instead he focused on the burning pain in his ankle. He had fallen from a long ways up and landed wrong, rolling his ankle. He could feel it healing, but he knew it would take a while to fix itself until he was at full strength.

Eventually the sound of children playing and birds chirping lulled him, softening his fear and slowing his breathing. Slowly sitting up, Ichigo looked around him.

He'd landed in a small park not far from where he had killed his first hollows. Seeing children playing around him, Ichigo felt strangely glad that he had landed here. Watching the tiny humans play, Ichigo curiously sniffed at a couple of them. He couldn't decide if he liked them or not as they shrieked and chased after each other energetically. On the one hand he thought they were rather cute and felt the strong urge to protect the vulnerable little creatures, but on the other hand, they were loud and noisy. Their quick movements and playful demeanor left him flinching every time they came to close to him or shrieked. Their screams of delight were reminding him of far more sinister situations, but it wasn't like he could actually remember anything. Vague feelings and instinctive reactions were the only thing he had to go on, and his mind was far too muddled with instinct and fog to put the pieces together.

Moving back so none of the squishy little monsters could trip on what they couldn't see, Ichigo watched from the sidelines as they continued to play. After observing for a couple minutes, Ichigo decided that he liked these mini humans however much they made him flinch. Most things set him off to be fair.

Seeing a pink ball come bouncing over to him, Ichigo stood up. A little boy with black hair came running over and scooped up the ball before running back to his friends. Ichigo was glad that they couldn't see him, he didn't want to scare them like he had that little girl.

Looking around, Ichigo decided this would be a nice spot to visit after hunts, but for right now he'd have to leave. He was still hungry and wanted to go find less challenging hollows to eat before he attempted to go back to Hueco Mundo. Shaking himself a little, Ichigo leapt into the sky to get a better vantage point. Sniffing around, he sensed a few hollows he could try and hunt and decided to go after them in a circle.

Hunting weaker hollows like this wasn't very fulfilling, but they were better than nothing. The first few he encountered were fairly easy kills, but the last two took forever to show up. He'd been left pacing around in the shadows trying to avoid anything and everything. Ichigo was generally anxious and high-strung, so the wait had made him jump and flinch at every little sound in a rather annoying way. He might've been overly paranoid, but this town was crawling with spiritually aware beings from black-robed to cross bearing people running around unseen half the time. None of them sensed him of course, but it still hurt to have to restrain his power this much. It was understandable considering how much power he had and even then it should have been nearly impossible to squash it down like he did. But Ichigo was constantly on edge, trying to make himself smaller and unnoticeable a well-practiced struggle that was pretty much second nature. Fear and bad experience greatly fueled his ability to hide himself even if he didn't remember where or how he had come to be so familiar with clamping down on his power.

Prowling around, Ichigo perked up when he finally felt a prick of energy in his senses. Following it closely, Ichigo's stomach growled when he realized this signature was stronger than his previous meals. Licking his teeth in anticipation, Ichigo tracked the hollow down to an apartment complex. Sniffing around, he realized he could also feel abnormal signatures coming from the apartments, three of them to be precise. They weren't like a hollow's, nor were they like any of the other beings Ichigo had encountered that could sense him. His thoughts were interrupted however, as he came closer and became aware of screaming.

Surprised, Ichigo realized this hollow had been here longer than when he had first sensed it, so not only was it able to hid itself, but it was probably only sensible by him because it was fighting.

Ichigo was forced to leap back from the apartments as the front door cracked and flew off it's hinges, human and hollow following shortly after. A red-headed girl landed painfully on the ground with a cry of pain as the hollow attacking her howled. It slithered closer to the girl, but Ichigo stood frozen, eyes glued onto the girl.

_Checkered handkerchief._

Warmth and despair surged in him in a confusing medley, patches of understanding and memory eluding him in this strange game of keep-away he played with his own mind. He knew her somehow, recognized her without having any recollection of who she was. The words she spoke to the other hollow were kind and soothing, something he was sure had been directed at him once. She was friendly, kind even, but he didn't know how he knew this. Again, something in his head protested the unwelcome push of memories as they threatened to come bursting to the surface. Looking at her and trying to remember hurt, but Ichigo wanted it. He wanted to remember, even if it hurt because without memories he felt more like an animal. If he could just remember, this cloudy fog would leave his head and he could think again. He could walk and talk, be intelligent, be human.

Ichigo was shaken out of his half formed thoughts as the hollow screamed and rushed at the girl. Releasing a scream of his own, Ichigo threw himself at the hollow, sinking his teeth into it's shoulder as it cried out. The hollow clawed at him and thrashed wildly trying to dislodge him, but Ichigo stubbornly held on. He savagely dug his teeth in, clawing and scratching at any attempt to dislodge him until one of the hollow's hands finally managed to grab him. Feeling it clamp down on his wrist, Ichigo didn't have time to cry out as it threw him like a ragdoll away. Rolling with the impact, Ichigo had to dig his clawed toes into the ground to stop himself from crashing into a building several feet away before falling to one knee with a hiss. The rough landing had aggravated his already hurt ankle. Shaking himself off, Ichigo prepared to rejoin the fight when he felt two more signatures rush out to where the girl was. Running on all fours, Ichigo slowed when he got close enough to see what was going on.

Ichigo blinked. There were two more humans there, another teenager with a strange arm and the petite girl he'd seen earlier. Looking at the two, something told him to hang back. The larger one seemed to have some fight left in him still, even if he was bleeding badly. The hollow Ichigo had just attacked screamed and threw himself at the large teenager. Ichigo was about to intervene when a loud thump signaled that the hollow had been blocked. Again the hollow attacked, and this time the human looked like he was done for.

A cry died in Ichigo's throat as he saw that the girl had blocked the hollow, taking the blow for her friend instead. He watched as she spoke to him, hugging his massive head even as blood dripped from her shoulder. Soft words filled with kindness made the hollow unlatch it's jaw and slither back in despair. Coming out of his defensive pose, Ichigo watched as the hollow spoke to her. The teenager Ichigo was sure should have been passed out or dead by now talked back to it, saying something that Ichigo couldn't hear.

Again, the girl hugged the hollow, saying more and stepping back as the smaller girl behind her handed it a sword she had previously been using as a crutch. Ichigo watched as the hollow began removing it's mask to reveal a human face. Ichigo blinked and held up a hand to touch his own mask with a shiver. He could tell from the way his scars itched that taking his mask off now was not something he was meant to do in this state. Fascinated, Ichigo flinched slightly when the hollow plunged the sword into itself, glowing oddly before fading away. He watched in concern as the smaller girl who had given her sword passed out. Should he be doing something...? The other teenager looked like he too was on the verge of passing out as the redheaded girl tried desperately to keep him awake. Eventually his head dropped and she began to panic, turning to her friends and holding her head. Ichigo started to go to her when when the hair pins she was wearing began to glow and separate into smaller figures.

This was... confusing. Ichigo cocked his head to the side and watched as the girl shrieked several times, even hitting one of the figures in fear. Scooting a little closer, Ichigo sat down to watch as the tiny figures began talking to her and guiding her through how to use a strange ability that seemed to be healing her friends. Glad that the two unconscious friends would survive, Ichigo turned to leave only to hear the girl crying. Not sure what to do, Ichigo crawled through a couple bushes to try and see if she was alright.

Crunching on a particularly loud stick, Ichigo froze. The girl turned around and looked at his hiding place. Ichigo held his breath as she peered into the bushes.

"Hello? I know you're there... are you hurt? I can heal you..." She said, one hand held out in a friendly gesture as she gave him a friendly smile.

Ichigo didn't know whether or not to come out, pacing about the bushes slowly. He was somewhat hurt from being thrown so far, but he was extremely reluctant to go to her. He was still deathly afraid of people, and no matter how gentle she seemed, a massive part of him recoiled in fear at the thought of letting her near him. Looking at her calm smile, Ichigo felt the familiar ache of loneliness he had felt when he'd met that little girl. He started to come out, but skittered back when he lost his nerve. Scooting closer, she tried again.

"It's okay - I'm not going to hurt you. If you just come out, I can take a look at your injuries and heal you." She said.

Slowly, Ichigo began inching his way forward, leaving the shadows. Everything was telling him to leave before she stopped acting so nice, but he wanted to believe that she really was gentle. The girl squinted as she tried to see his face, but he was crawling on all fours to her, bone white limbs tentatively coming into the light. She widened her eyes when she saw his clawed hands and Ichigo desperately hoped she wouldn't be scared of him. He had no such time to find that out as he heard a loud groan behind the girl. The sound startling him, Ichigo flinched and hissed on reflex before dashing away, heart thumping in his ears as he heard her call out to him.

.

.

.

-x-

**Kisuke Urahara - "Humble" Convenience Store**

Kisuke hummed thoughtfully as he watched his monitor. As exciting as the readings he'd been getting from the mystery signature were, they had stopped about a day or so ago. He could only gain so much information from them, so now he was left to check up on the rest of his sensors.

Ever since he had been exiled, he'd had to find his own ways of keeping in the loop of events surrounding the three worlds. It had taken quite some time to create devices that could accurately monitor every and any meeting between the different superpowers of each world, but he had done it. Hueco Mundo was lacking in sensors compared to the other two worlds, but that couldn't be helped. Reina Harribel was a rather cunning woman that took full advantage of her more chaotic surroundings. Others had tried and failed to spy on the arrancar in the past thanks to the sheer difficulty of getting in unnoticed since shinigami and quincies were far more different from hollows than they were each other. The rest was thanks to Szayelaporro Granz's (Szayel if you knew him or wanted to piss him off) meticulous knowledge of every nook and cranny of the palace in Las Noches as well as his own anti-spy technology.

Kisuke's solution had been to put sensors outside the palace strong enough to pick up on all recordings of the meetings. They were cleverly modeled after Szayel's own sensors so that they would be less noticeable and able to take from the denser reishi atmosphere to gain the same power with the same power signature. So far none of them had been found, and he expected they never would.

It was actually the arrancar's meetings and orders that he was monitoring now. While he had his own contacts, it was much easier to take information directly pirated from Szayel's records to find out what was going on. Currently an order was being issued to all hollows to keep an eye out for a new wanted hollow. It didn't say exactly what the hollow was wanted for, but Kisuke got a pretty good idea once he saw that Szayel had had a personal part in putting out the order. Everyone knew that the deranged scientist had been experimenting on hollows for years, but Harribel had turned a blind eye after his "research" gave its own rewards. It wasn't all that different to how things worked in the Soul Society with their own research department.

What was making Kisuke scratch his head was the description of the hollow. Apparently it was a human-sized white-skinned hollow with long spiky orange hair and humanoid features. The orange hair was interesting and reminded Kisuke of the boy he had met in the park, but plenty of hollows were brightly colored and he himself had seen others with orange hair before, so it registered as an unimportant coincidence to be filed away in the stead of better information.

It's mask had red markings and several scars to match the ones covering its body, and it had a small hollow-hole in the center of it's chest. It was last seen wearing the bottom pants part of a black shihakusho tied by bandages across his waist before disappearing through an untraceable and unknown type of garganta. Kisuke himself had gotten no alerts of a garganta or any other sort of portal being opened, but he had gotten a hit on the same day as it's supposed opening marking it as part of the anomaly he'd been tracking at the academy and with those human teenagers. That was why he was still monitoring the various channels, trying to find out if anyone else had seen this hollow. Both the shinigami and quincies had been contacted and sent the wanted ad. So far no one had seen the hollow before, and no one could figure out it's reiatsu signature.

Sipping on a cup of tea, Kisuke was distracted from his computer when he felt a familiar reiatsu approaching.

"Any news of that hollow, Yoruichi?" Kisuke asked to the seemingly empty room. Yoruichi didn't bother trying to make Kisuke work for the information as she walked up to him.

"I thought you said those teenagers were being monitored!" Yoruichi said. Kisuke looked at her, genuinely confused.

"Care to share with the class...?" Kisuke asked. Yoruichi crossed her arms.

"I got a call from the new local shinigami saying those two, Chad and Orihime, were attacked by a hollow and had gained strange powers from the encounter. The hollow actually managed to injure all three of them before Orihime talked it down into letting them purify it." Yoruichi said with a hard glare. Kisuke winced.

"Ah, that shinigami  _was_  supposed to be their 'monitoring'..." Kisuke said. Yoruichi's glare didn't leave.

"I may have dropped an anonymous hint that there were two souls in need of being watched to the Outreach, and the local shinigami may or may not have taken that on as a personal assignment to check out the area and protect the two. It seems that might have been a bad first-day assignment for her..." Kisuke said sheepishly.

"Considering she hadn't yet had her seal lifted, I'd think so. Now I have to go over there and give them the talk while comforting that poor girl - it was her dead brother that attacked her." Yoruichi said. Kisuke winced a second time. No wonder that hollow was able to wound all three of them...

"Ah, I see. In that case, I'll have to keep watch over them much more closely. Closely, carefully, and... from an academic standpoint!" Kisuke said the last part with a grin. Yoruichi looked confused before catching on.

"Dear god, Kisuke. Haven't those children been through enough?" Yoruichi asked. Kisuke pouted as he took a small flyer out of his robe.

"Maa~ You make it sound like my Educational Extracurricular Academic Student Club isn't any fun!" Kisuke moped. Yoruichi cringed at the ridiculous name. It sounded like he was trying way too hard to convince people it was an actual club and not a front for what it really was.

"You've been trying to lure kids to your 'club' for years and have never been able to get anybody to join thanks to those horrible flyers. No one keeps those up where you put them, not even the Outreach." Yoruichi said as she snatched the flyer from Kisuke. Kisuke tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Ah, people do seem to have an annoying habit of tearing down my flyers. But that's why I made sure to staple them to the wall this time." Kisuke said. Yoruichi choked.

"Kisuke! What if somebody actually decides to look into the owner of those flyers?!" Yoruichi exclaimed. Kisuke shrugged helplessly. It wasn't his fault school officials couldn't see an excellent academic opportunity when it was stapled right in front of them.

"If you want to be able to hook those students, you'd better get going before another representative shows up." Kisuke reminded. Sighing, Yoruichi shook her head as she realized Kisuke was right. Suddenly grinning at Kisuke, Yoruichi stuffed the flyer in her robes.

"If that's the case, then it seems I'll be needed here to help teach them how to hone their abilities. Since you are just the humble shopkeeper, I'll have to use you to demonstrate." Yoruichi said with an absolutely feral grin. Kisuke paled. He'd been used by Yoruichi for demonstrations before, and he was not looking forward to it.

* * *

 **Las Noches Imperio**  - The Night Empire

 **Reina**  - Queen

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make Ichigo still a little cute in this chapter despite being a bloodthirsty hollow. Yes, I am aware of what Ichigo's mask looks like by the end of Bleach with the two black stripes down his face, but he has the older red markings for a reason. Quick hint, it ties into why he can't remember anything and relies on instinct instead of human intelligence. Something doesn't want Ichigo to remember, have you guessed who yet?
> 
> I made Harribel queen of Hueco Mundo for a couple of reasons, but for now I can only say a couple of them without ruining anything. For one thing, Harribel became queen in Bleach after Aizen lost control and a whole bunch of espada died, so there is that. She's also still incredibly powerful (the only Vasto Lorde arrancar) and has the perfect temperament for ruler. I will definitely go more into Hueco Mundo and what an empire there is like.
> 
> (inspired by fanfiction.net review, copied response) This story is most definitely a continuation instead of a rewrite, so you're spot on about events and powers within a soul are likely to occur without the hogyoku. With the hogyoku rendered unnecessary for the gang to gain power, that leaves the mystery of something else causing souls to gain powers and go through events that have already happened. How is it that so many characters have ended up mostly the same people in the same places with the same relationships? Without Ichigo being smack in the center of his friends, there's no real reason for his default friends to still be friends and end up drawn into the supernatural side of things, so how are the same connections from the past being maintained in this new version of the world? If it was just Ichigo reborn, his friends wouldn't be the same age as him, so that means his friends and everyone he knew was reborn. But the world doesn't show any signs of being in the future, everything is exactly the same development as it was the first time around except for things that were changed long ago. So the world is showing the exact same signs of newness and differentiating from the old world exactly like the characters. Just gonna leave that there...  
> Glad that you'r trying to figure out what happened in the three years that Ichigo went missing, because those years are extremely important as well as the unique nightmares he has.  
> Ooh boy, all that stuff certainly isn't good for Ichigo's mental health, but let me tell you, what you see of Ichigo so far is pretty surface compared to all the issues he really has. I suppose it would hurt him normally, but it's not quite enough to drive Ichigo to the brink considering all the stuff he had to deal with in his first life. No, his unbelievably shitty mental state (oooooh you gonna see that later) is due to two things; his abusive mother, and the subject of his nightmares - the nightmares themselves, the resulting flashbacks and anxiety attacks, and "hallucinations" (souls he sees in real life). He is deeply traumatized by something you won't yet see...
> 
> (inspired by fanfiction.net review, copied response) I've been considering having Ichigo in a relationship, but I've been a little hesitant because of how hard people ship characters. I don't want to drive somebody away from my story because they don't like the pairing, but I really want to try writing romance and it's beyond logical to my story's plot. I can't completely say now why relationships kind of have to exist in this world, but I will say that the major connections between characters that developed in canon always develop here. I won't say anything about relationships or my plans for the future until I get further into the story. I estimate talking about it in my notes maybe around... chapter eight or nine? Maybe not even then, we'll see.
> 
> With all that said, romantic relationships are NOT the main focus of this story. I really wish had more taggings, 'cause this story is angst, hurt/comfort, recovery, adventure, and family.
> 
> Again, no evidence of Hogyoku, so how do arrancars even exist?
> 
> As always, let me know what you think.


	6. Chapter 5: Memory Lane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews! This chapter was fairly late compared to my previous posts, but as I've said before, now that I'm in school I'll be posting less frequently. For now I'll try to stay to an update schedule of every two weeks, but I might need to extend that time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Speech/Thoughts_

**Chapter 5: Memory Lane**

-x-

**Sogen Apartments**

"- and that concludes the basics of Souls and the Afterlife. Any questions?" Rukia finished.

Orihime and Chad stared blankly at Rukia as they sat on their knees across from her. Orihime raised her hand like she was back in grade school. Rukia pointed at Orihime even though she was obviously the only one raising her hand.

"Yes?" Rukia asked.

"Um, why did we have to have this talk here?" Orihime asked, gesturing around them.

They were currently sitting in Orihime's torn up apartment, debris from the wall and smashed furniture littering the floor as a cool breeze wafted in from a large hole in her dented walls. Since Sora had smashed Orihime's table, the three of them sat in the center of the living room where it had been on some spare cushions from Orihime's room (only the living room was really beat up). Looking at the extensive damage, Chad felt sure that the entire apartment was a building hazard.

"We can't very well leave the apartment in such a state - that would be a clear breach of my protocols." Rukia snorted.

If it wasn't for Orihime's easy-going temperament, she would have smacked her head in frustration. Rukia had only been awake for a few hours and it was already glaringly clear that she was a stickler for rules and regulations. When Chad and Orihime had wanted to start cleaning up the apartment, Rukia had immediately shut them down under the pretense that Orihime's apartment was now a crime scene and would need to be filed correctly with pictures of the damage and samples of the hollow. That was also why none of them were allowed to change out of their clothes. Indeed, they all had blood and strange stains from Sora's acid on their torn and ripped clothing, leaving the distinct impression they were "hobo zombies" (Orihime's words). The only thing they did seem to be allowed to do was help Rukia fill out her report via eyewitness accounts which she meticulously recorded in a little notebook she always carried on her. Orihime supposed that it was a good thing shinigami were so thorough considering they played such an important role in both the World of the Living and the afterlife, but it still made things a little difficult.

"What even are your protocols?" Chad asked. Rukia crossed her arms and huffed.

"Well, as I already told you, some things are for shinigami of the Gotei 13 to know only, so I can only say so much. While it is my job to assist souls in their journey to the afterlife and purge hollows, I am also required to observe any supernatural doings in Karakura town as this is  _my_  town." Rukia said.

That was another thing that they had learned about Rukia; she was very proud about her being a shinigami and all the duties that came with it. It definitely wasn't like Rukia was arrogant or snooty, she was just very passionate about her job and what she did. It had actually been pretty surprising to Chad and Orihime when she told them she was a noble from some fancy clan. Orihime would have expected a noble of any clan to be super sophisticated and elegant, ruling over vast estates and being waited on hand and foot. Rukia had just chuckled at that, saying that she did know quite a few nobles like that, but she wasn't born into that life. Rukia had grown up in a portion of the Soul Society called the Rukongai that's district was a merchant town surrounded by several trading ports. According to her, most of the Rukongai and Soul Republics were to the living standard of feudal Japan as far as the outer districts where law enforcement varied greatly. Districts closest to the Seireitei and Soul Republic Centers were generally far more patrolled and peaceful while the outer districts mostly ran themselves, rarely relying on shinigami. Her own district was a bit wilder than the others as it had a secret black market going on, so she had ended up growing up in a less than peaceful area.

Orihime had been fascinated by the Soul Society and all the different parts to it, but Rukia had ended up only telling them the absolute basics of what they needed to know since they didn't have nearly enough time to go through everything. As disappointed as Orihime had been, she could understand why they were only being told the basics first. There were so many things that happened right under their noses that they never even knew about, and it was confusing. Since they were still new to everything, Rukia had called the Outreach to get a mentor to come down and schedule a time for later meetings. That and to clean up the apartment...

"Do you know when the mentor will be here?" Orihime asked. It was starting to get dark out, and Orihime really didn't have anywhere else to sleep if they didn't get here soon. Wait, could they even fix her apartment? The hole in the wall was a pretty large one…

"Well, I called the Outreach before I gave you two the talk, so one should be here fairly soon." Rukia said. As she had said, it only took a few more minutes before someone claiming to be from the Outreach showed up. When she did, Rukia had immediately bowed low after looking extremely surprised by who the mentor was.

"No need for all of that Rukia, us noble ladies have no need for that stuff." Yoruichi said with a wink as she nudged Rukia.

"O-oh, uh, yes Yoruichi-sama!" Rukia said. Yoruichi ignored the use of honorifics for now. Turning to Orihime and Chad who had gotten to their feet to give less severe bows, Yoruichi returned their greeting.

"I am Yoruichi Shihoin, princess of the Shihoin family and special instructor at Shino Outreach." Yoruichi said. Orihime's eyes widened.

"You're a princess?!" Orihime exclaimed. Yoruichi laughed.

"Yes, but I'm not here as royalty - I'm here as your mentor. As I said to Rukia, none of you need to give me any special treatment. That's how I've been doing things ever since I became an instructor at the Outreach." Yoruichi said. Chad and Orihime nodded, but Orihime still seemed a little intimidated. Gesturing for them all to take a seat despite the lack of proper furniture, Yoruichi sat down.

"Now, first thing's first; what powers have the two of you developed?" Yoruichi asked. Both Orihime and Chad were too exhausted from their fight to manifest their powers, but their descriptions gave Yoruichi an accurate enough idea.

"Well, it seems pretty obvious Chad has unlocked Fullbringer powers, but I'm not so sure about Orihime." Yoruichi said. Chad frowned.

"But Rukia said that fullbringers manifest their powers through physical objects. I didn't have any object that started manifesting powers, not like Orihime." Chad said. Yoruichi nodded.

"Oh, but you did. When Rukia said that fullbringers manifest their powers through physical objects, she meant they used physical  _matter._ Was there any object or  _thing_ during your fight that you felt a particular affinity or pride for?" Yoruichi asked. She herself could guess what it was, but it was important that Chad figure it out for himself. Chad frowned and though for a moment before slowly speaking.

"I was wearing a Mexican coin my abuela gave me, but I wasn't thinking about it at the time... I was thinking about how my tough skin had saved me from Sora's attacks, but that I would do more than just defend myself... my fists are for fighting..." Chad said as he slowly realized.

"My fullbringer powers manifest themselves through my... skin?" He asked. Yoruichi nodded, pleased that he had caught on so quickly.

"Yes, but I think it's a little bit more specific than that since you were thinking about your skin in the context of using your fists to fight. That probably is why your powers manifested special armor on your arms suited for punching and fighting hand-to-hand combat." Yoruichi said. Chad nodded thoughtfully. Hearing Yoruichi explaining how Chad's powers worked, Orihime's hand shot up as she waited for Yoruichi to call on her.

"Er, yes Orihime?" Yoruichi asked. Orihime dutifully put her hand back down and straightened like she was about to ask an important question in class. This girl was certainly quirky.

"Ah, I was just wondering why you said you weren't so sure about my powers. From what you explained about Chad and fullbringers, it seems like I'm the same - my powers manifested from something I have an emotional attachment to - my hair pins." Orihime said. Yoruichi shook her head.

"While that is true, fullbringers don't manifest spirits. Shun Shun Rikka's fairy spirits are far more similar to a shinigami's weapon - the zanpakuto. A Zanpakuto is a sword containing a living spirit that develops based on it's wielder and lends them its power. Because of this, you can't be considered a fullbringer." Yoruichi said. Orihime paled a little. It was concerning to think that not even someone as knowledgeable as Yoruichi knew just what she was.

"Are you sure I don't fit into any group - surely there's someone who knows what my powers are!" Orihime said. Yoruichi slyly smiled to herself. She'd been waiting for just the opportunity.

"No need to worry Orihime, I know a friend who can help identify your powers. He even runs a special club for living souls like you to receive training and guidance. He also happens to have an extensive knowledge of fullbringers, so if Chad wanted he could accompany you to the club. I'm sure he would end up learning quite a few things there." Yoruichi said. Chad looked at Orihime and nodded. It sounded like a good deal, and he knew that Orihime would probably be lonely without him there. Orihime gave Yoruichi a smile and nodded as well. Rukia, however, looked skeptical.

"A special club outside of the Outreach? How come I've never heard of such a thing?" Rukia asked. Yoruichi groaned inwardly. Kisuke had warned her that Rukia was far more competent than the previous local shinigami, but Yoruichi was no fool to the art of persuasion.

"That's most likely due to the fact that the local soul officials thought his club was a practical joke." Yoruichi said tapping the object she had just pulled out.

All three leaned in to get a closer look at the flyer lying on the ground before understanding immediately what she meant. It was a brightly colored advertisement for the "Educational Extracurricular Academic Student Club" scrawled in a ridiculous orange bubble font followed by locations and times written in red comic sans over top a neon yellow background filled with fake explosions and flames. There were sayings like "super cool!" "awesome!" "radical!" and "totally safe!" scattered across the flyer in jagged letters that looked like it had been drawn with sharpie. The biggest eyesore however, was the image of a man in a green and white striped bucket hat holding a fan and smiling like his face was about to break as he struck a ridiculous pose.

"I completely understand..." Rukia said with a wince. The man was clearly insane.

"If only you did..." Yoruichi said with a heavy sigh. She would never have allowed Chad and Orihime the misfortune of meeting Kisuke if it wasn't for their current situation.

"I'm going to assume their are open spots." Chad said. Orihime giggled slightly. She was pretty sure with advertising like that they were the only members.

"Yes, but I still need to call Kisuke to ensure he can work out a time for you and give him a heads up." Yoruichi said. It was a lie of course since they had been planning this whole thing out, but the last part of their plan still had yet to take place. Pulling out a phone, Yoruichi quickly punched in the numbers and had only a short while to wait before Kisuke came on speaker phone.

"Aah~ Yoruichi-san, what a surprise! What can this humble shop-keeper do for you today?" Kisuke asked in a cheery voice. Holding the phone out so her three companions could hear better, Yoruichi answered as scripted.

"I was just calling to let you know that I have two students from Karakura High who would like to join your club." Yoruichi said. Orihime leaned in to speak.

"Hello Kisuke-san! I'd be very glad if Chad and I could join your club so that we can learn more about our powers." Orihime said. Chad grunted in agreement.

"Wonderful! I was just wondering what I would do with such a lovely afternoon - why don't the two of you come on down to my shop so we can set this up." Kisuke said. Orihime looked like she was about to agree before she remembered the state of her apartment.

"Oh, I would, but you see my apartment kind of got destroyed and I still need to figure out how to fix it..." Orihime said, disappointed.

"Oh no! How did that happen?" Kisuke asked with false concern. He knew very well the extent of the damage and events by now.

"It's a little complicated, but my dead brother came back as a hollow and attacked me - that's how Chad and I managed to gain powers." Orihime said a little sadly. The events of the day were starting to weigh on her.

"I'm so sorry to hear that..." This time his concern was genuine. "Do you have an idea yet of how long it will take to fix your place?" Kisuke asked. Orihime looked to Rukia.

"That depends on how quickly I - the local shinigami - can administer memory replacements on the residents and repairmen. From there, it will likely be a couple days until her apartment is fixed." Rukia said. Chad surprisingly spoke up next.

"I was actually going to let Orihime stay with me in my apartment until hers was fixed." Chad rumbled. Orihime immediately began insisting that it was too much to ask Chad to do that, but he was adamant. Kisuke couldn't help but " _ooooooh~_ " when he heard the offer.

"Kisuke!" Yoruichi snapped as Orihime and Chad blushed. Both of them knew it wasn't like that, but it was still extremely embarrassing.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't resist - really!" Kisuke whined. Suddenly he gasped, as if struck by an idea.

"I know! Since my new pupils already know each other so well, why don't we all have a sleepover! Chad, Orihime, Rukia, Yoruichi-san and I can all get to know each other while you stay in a more secure location - I'd hate for another hollow to show up thanks to the lingering reiatsu of your brother." Kisuke said. Yoruichi bit on her tongue to stop herself from growling at Kisuke. This was not the plan - Kisuke was only supposed to convince Orihime and Chad to spend the night, not her and Rukia as well!

"A-ah, I thank you for the offer, Kisuke-san, but I still have my duties to tend to..." Rukia said. She was trying her best to ignore the puppy eyes Orihime was giving her. Chad looked like he was attempting to help Orihime win Rukia over, but his eyes said "constipated dog" more than "begging puppy."

"Nonsense! You've obviously just became local shinigami - the other was nowhere near as talented with his duties - and you should celebrate!" Rukia blushed slightly at the compliment, coughing.

"If you really want to be the local shinigami, you have to be  _local_. Take some time to make friends, see the city, know your territory. You wait for crime, not the other way around. Once you're done taking care of things at Orihime's apartment, why don't you come to my shop and join us? I'm sure it would be beneficial for you to learn how to fit in here if you ever need to use a gigai." Kisuke said. Yoruichi had to admit he was playing Rukia well. He knew that she had already had to use a gigai and had not fit in very well.

"I suppose it is still my duty to take care of Orihime and Chad..." Rukia said. Orihime gave a small fist-pump of victory before hugging Rukia excitedly. Rukia laughed slightly and Chad gave her a thumbs up. She hadn't thought to make friends here, but she was beginning to feel glad that she'd gotten such an opportunity with bubbly Orihime and friendly Chad.

"Now hold on just a minute there Kisuke, I do have things to do you know!" Yoruichi huffed. Orihime and Rukia immediately began pleading with her as Kisuke wailed on the phone, hoping his gut-wrenching agony would make her take pity on him.

"You stop that right now Kisuke, you're encouraging them!" Yoruichi snapped.

"It's not like you have classes to teach - school is over! I say sleepover! Sleep-over! Sleep-over! Sleep-over!" Kisuke chanted, Orihime, Chad, and Rukia quickly joining in.

"Alright, alright, alright! Fine! Sleepover it is!" Yoruichi exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. Everyone cheered and Yoruichi swore she could smell the upcoming chaos.

-x-

**Yuzu Kurosaki**

This wasn't any fair!

Yuzu huffed as she watched Karin playing soccer with the older kids. It wasn't that unusual for Karin to play games, especially soccer, with the older kids at the park simply because of how skilled she was. She still played with kids her own age, but she usually got bored of that pretty quickly. Normally Karin would have stopped playing with the older kids so Yuzu could join in and play, but today Karin had refused, telling Yuzu she didn't want her getting hurt. Sure, Yuzu wasn't nearly as athletic or skilled as her twin, but that didn't mean she was terrible!

Watching Karin wiping the field with the older kids, Yuzu could see just how frustrated her sister was. Yuzu could understand Karin being a little overprotective after she nearly got run over on Friday, but she hadn't expected it to last more than a day. Now Yuzu was beginning to suspect Karin was acting strange not because of what had happened to Yuzu, but what had happened to Ichigo. It had taken a while for Yuzu to connect Karin's recent attitude to the teen's suicide, but when she did, it made sense. Karin could see spirits and as a result ended up thinking about the afterlife more than any normal girl her age, but it had never affected her negatively until recently.

_Maybe learning about what Ichigo did really make the whole "death thing" heavier for her..._

_Wait, what if she could see Ichigo's spirit?!_

It was horrifying to think about, but it would explain her behavior. Yuzu didn't think she could handle it if she ended up seeing the spirit of a boy who had killed himself hours after they had talked to him. She was upset enough as it was at the news, but this certainly put a new spin on things.

"Oy! Yuzu!" Karin called with a wave. Yuzu waved back and jogged to her.

"You finished the game already? Guess we can go home now..." Yuzu said hopefully. Karin ignored her sister's boredom with a wave of her hand.

"Not yet, I promised those kids another game, but they wanted to go play it on the other soccer field closer to the park." Karin said.

"What?! But you promised me one more game and we could go home!" Yuzu exclaimed. Karin had been saying "one more game and we'll go home" for the past hour now.

"Oh come one Yuzu, it's not like mom and dad care about us playing out this late. It's not even dark yet." Karin said rolling her eyes. Yuzu crossed her arms.

"That's not fair and you know it! What am I supposed to do?" Yuzu huffed. Karin kicked up her soccer ball and started walking away.

"I don't know, go play in the park or something! You don't always have to stick to me!" Karin yelled over her shoulder as she joined her teammates.

"You can't just leave me here!" Yuzu called, but Karin ignored her and kept walking.

"Jerk!" Yuzu yelled, face red as Karin left.

She hated it when Karin left her behind like this. Normally it wasn't a problem, but today it just made Yuzu feel like a little kid. At home in the kitchen she was an expert, at school a whiz, but whenever she tried to participate in Karin's sports, she ended up feeling so stupid. Karin barely even tried to include her anymore, and it was embarrassing.

Stomping around, Yuzu decided if Karin wanted to pretend like she wasn't there, she might as well not be. Their house wasn't all that far from the park, and if Yuzu wanted to walk home by herself, by all means she should. Turning around, Yuzu decided she would take a shortcut through the trees to get home. Crunching through the thick underbrush, Yuzu searched around for the small footpath she and Karin had been using for years. Unfortunately, Karin remembered it better than her.

_Where is this stupid thing?_

Yuzu thought as she continued traipsing around the woods. It wasn't like it was an actual forest, but it was big enough to get lost in for a short while. Huffing, Yuzu came to a stop as leaves continued to crunch around her. Well, behind her. Behind her?

Whipping around, Yuzu only heard silence. She'd probably just imagined it. Continuing her search, Yuzu could have sworn she heard the trees swaying around her, but every time she stopped she heard nothing but the natural sounds of wind, leaves, and small animals. The further she went, the more she became unsettled. It really was starting to feel like something was following her, and she still couldn't find the path.

A sick snapping sound behind her made Yuzu squeak and whirl around, heart beating as she searched for signs of anything besides her. Again, only silence. She waited another heartbeat, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary... As she went to take another step, she suddenly heard another noise and froze. It immediately stopped when she stood still, but when she walked again, she could swear the noise was back.

Okay, now she was scared. Maybe she shouldn't have tried to walk home by herself? Walking faster, Yuzu barely noticed that her breath was coming out in short gasps now. Suddenly everything sounded like a possible stalker, every rustle, twig snap, and branch creak making her jump. Faster and faster she walked as she started to become frantic. She swore she could  _feel_  something right behind her, but she couldn't find the path.

_Where is it?!_

_Where is that -_

A loud snap from above her made Yuzu shriek and look up into the trees. A strange clicking noise that sounded almost like a growl made Yuzu scream and break out into a full run as she tried to escape the trees. Branches tore at her clothes and scratched her face painfully as she tore her way through the trees, similar noises coming from right behind her. Tripping on a root, Yuzu crashed to the ground with a cry.

" **Yo _U caN_ 't Ju _St le_ AVe  _Me he_ ReEEee _eEeEe_ e!**" Came a warbled version of Yuzu's own voice careening through the trees.

Yuzu screamed as she desperately tried to untangle her probably twisted ankle. Her nails tore as she scratched at her ankle, trees swaying and plants flailing as something unseen came for Yuzu.

" **Rr _rRr_ RRre _ee_ Kk _kkkK K_ kk KK _kk kk_  kkk _kkkka_ aaa _aaa_ hhh!**" Came a stuttering scream as something knocked into Yuzu, ripping her ankle away from the root.

The wind was knocked out of her as Yuzu crashed to the ground under the weight of her attacker. She couldn't see anything there, but she could feel claws digging into her shoulders as something pinned her to the ground. Unable to scream, Yuzu could only gasp for air as one of the clawed hands that had been holding her down pierced into her forehead, drawing blood. Tears streamed down Yuzu's face as a scream built itself up inside her. For a moment, she could finally see what was attacking her.

Black like a charred corpse, the thing atop her was completely emaciated, bony limbs twisted out at odd angles ending in wicked claws. Worst of all was it's face, for she could make out no features other than a gaping mouth from all the scarring and twisting of it's face. It's skin shifted constantly as something wriggled around underneath it's flesh, making Yuzu feel sick. She could sense this creature's intentions from the horrible connection it was forming with what felt like her soul.

It was going to eat her.

But suddenly the weight of her killer was ripped off of her body as a different howl tore through the woods. Yuzu scrabbled away with a sob as she tried desperately to get away. Even though the monster's claws were gone from her forehead, Yuzu could still see it clearly as it screamed in pain. The second figure was fuzzier, but it was decidedly not human from the way it moved and howled.

The dark creature was bleeding heavily, but it was still going as it screeched and flung itself at the other. The two fought in a frenzy of screams and blood as Yuzu tried to keep up, but they were moving to fast. Scooting farther back, Yuzu flinched when her rescuer was flung back to crash into a tree with a sick thud. Hissing in pain, it got up and howled again in defiance. The other screeched back in challenge and rushed forward, claws poised to shred. Blood splattered the foliage around them as the two exchanged frenzied blows in a deadly dance. It was becoming clear that the stronger of the two was the fuzzier figure as it used it's superior speed and strength to break the dark creature's limbs and even tear off an arm.

Screaming in pain, the dark creature tried to pin the other to the ground but was overpowered quickly. A red dot of light began to glow where the blurry figure held the other by it's head, growing in size as the other's struggles became more desperate. Yuzu wisely launched herself out of the way just as the red orb was released in an explosion of power that shook the trees. Yuzu was painfully thrown back onto the ground where she curled up until debris stopped raining down. Opening her eyes again, Yuzu lowered her arms from her face as dust clouded her vision. It was completely silent now, so she hoped that meant the battle was over.

Once the dust had cleared, Yuzu could see a small crater where the dark creature's head had been, twisted body wriggling on the ground in death throws. Even though it was over, her rescuer still stood poised over the body in an aggressive stance as if looking for something in the spasming remains.

Yuzu nearly missed the movement from the body when something shot towards her only to be stomped on by the rescuer. To her horror, Yuzu now realized worms were slithering out of the dark creature's corpse to come squealing at her. Yuzu screamed and stomped on one that got just a little too close to her as her new companion ran around on all fours squishing and killing the parasites quicker than they could leave the corpse. Eventually the stream of maggots stopped and the two sat staring at each other.

Covering her mouth to stop herself from vomiting, Yuzu felt faint. She felt so sick and weak, and now she wasn't even sure if the creature before her had saved her or was just as dangerous to her as the first. Every time she tried to make out what it looked like, all she got was faint impressions of it's transparent shape as well as a headache. It was like her brain knew it was there, but couldn't quite remember what it looked like. Yuzu could just barely make out that something was even there. She could tell it wasn't human though, and she wasn't ready to risk that it was friendly, so she slowly picked herself up, creature watching her the entire time.

It turned out standing up wasn't the best idea as Yuzu's legs wobbled and she almost crashed. The creature watching her flashed to her side in concern to prop her up and Yuzu couldn't help but scream. It was too much, and as the creature dropped her, Yuzu scrambled back to try and get away. She was so tired and hurt and scared and she didn't know what to do. It kept coming closer to her, making Yuzu scream again and start sobbing. Her back hit a tree and she realized there was no way she was going to be able to outrun this thing, even without a busted ankle.

"P-please, please don't hurt - hurt me." Yuzu sobbed between her panting.

The creature was towering over her shaking form now, but it miraculously started backing away. It took a moment, but Yuzu realized she could hear a strange rumbling coming from it. It was crouching low now, one arm tentatively held out to her. Yuzu breathed heavily as she stared back and forth between the clawed hand and the creature. It was treating her as if  _she_  was the wild animal, slowly moving to her with an arm offered out in a comforting gesture as it rumbled soothingly at her. Shaking, Yuzu slowly reached out a trembling hand to his, breathe stopping in her throat when she finally touched him. It felt just like human skin, except maybe a little tougher. He held still for her as she carefully ran her fingers over his hand, feeling tiny grooves in his skin where numerous scars must have been before stopping when she came to his claws. They weren't as long and spindly as her attacker's, but they were sharp nonetheless as Yuzu cautiously tested their edge. It was fascinating to be feeling something there that her mind couldn't quite register, and it was a little jarring.

Yuzu flinched when she felt his hand moving underneath hers, but settled when she realized he was just twisting it so his hand was facing palm up. Feeling his hand, Yuzu inched hers into his slowly. They stayed like that for a moment, Yuzu shaking and bleeding while the creature rumbled low and steady in a sort of purr as they held hands. Eventually she began to feel dizzy (probably from the blood pouring down her forehead) and had to prop her head against the tree to keep from falling. Sensing that she was quickly growing weaker, the creature gave Yuzu a gentle squeeze of her hand and slowly reached out his other. Not quite understanding, Yuzu put her other hand in his and yelped when he suddenly pulled her up.

For a terrifying moment she thought that she had just made a horrible mistake, but the creature hadn't pulled her up to hurt her, he was cradling her in his arms as his rumbling grew into a loud purr. Yuzu had to admit it was incredibly calming as her breathing began to slow.

_Okay, okay. He's friendly, he's not going to eat me..._

Yuzu weakly tried to shift in his arms, but he firmly put a hand on her chest as if to tell her  _Stay still. Rest_. He began sniffing her all over, pausing at her shoulders and ankle before turning her head back and forth to inspect the gashes the dark creature had left. Yuzu gasped when she felt something warm and wet cleaning up the blood. He was licking her...

To her surprise, when he started carefully cleaning the wounds on her forehead, she actually started to feel a little tingly where he was licking. Reaching up to feel at her forehead, Yuzu was shocked to feel her wounds closing.

Sniffing around her face, he made a small dissatisfied noise.  _Still hurt._  Apparently he decided that the cuts on her face from her flight through the trees needed attending because he then gently cupped Yuzu's face in his large hand, taking care not to let his claws pierce her, and began licking her whole face like a cat cleaning itself. Yuzu couldn't help but giggle a little as she felt him cleaning her up and healing her.

"Stop! That tickles!" Yuzu laughed quietly. It unfortunately turned into a cough because of her bruised ribs.

Making a small huffing noise of concern, the creature shifted Yuzu in his hold to put her head in the crook of it's neck. Standing up fully, Yuzu could feel him looking around the trees. He wasn't going to leave with her, was he? Panicking a little, Yuzu struggled to get him to take his hand off her head so she could look at him.

"Hey, don't just run off with me! I do actually have somewhere to be you know..." Yuzu said. The creature just looked at her blankly. She couldn't make out it's face since he did look more like a ghost than a solid human, but she could guess that he was pretty confused.

"I live not far from here, and my dad is a doctor. If you bring me to my house, I'll be able to heal a lot better." Yuzu said as she pointed in the general direction of her house.

Not really getting it, but wanting to do what Yuzu was telling him to do, he began walking in the direction where Yuzu was pointing, stopping every now and again to make sure this was what she wanted. The entire time Yuzu held on to him, trying to process the events of the day. She supposed she should be really upset or scared right now, but all she felt was kind of numb, probably from the shock. All she could focus on now was getting herself home, she would think about everything that had happened later. Eventually they reached the path that Yuzu had been searching for in the first place. Her new friend had no idea that this was what they were looking for however, and nearly plunged back into the trees again.

"Wait! This is how we get there - we need to follow this." Yuzu explained, pointing to the path and tracking it with her finger.

Understanding, he began walking down the path, breaking into a jog when Yuzu assured him this was the right way to go. It was a bit of a bumpy ride, but he made sure not to jostle Yuzu's ankle too much, and for that she was thankful. Eventually they made it out of the trees and onto a street. By this point Yuzu was too tired to walk him to her house, so she just kept pointing in the direction they needed to go, explaining that she lived in the Kurosaki Clinic.

"See, that house right there..." Yuzu said with an absent yawn. She had a feeling she might've been asleep by now, but the pain from her ankle prevented that from happening.

"Just put me down for a moment and I can unlock the door." Yuzu said.

Tugging a little at her friend, Yuzu got him to lower her to the ground in front of her front door. She held onto his shoulders as she fished around for her house key, making sure to keep off her bad foot. Unlocking the door, Yuzu held onto the handle and made her way inside, motioning for him to come in as well. When he didn't Yuzu shifted painfully and frowned.

"Come on, it's alright. I want you to meet my mom and dad while they check me over." Yuzu said.

He made a small noise and began pacing slightly, coming through the door only to hop back out again. He could hear the sounds of Yuzu's mother cooking in the kitchen while her father watched tv in the living room, and he wasn't so keen on people other than Yuzu currently. The sound of Yuzu's father cheering at the tv made him flinch and start back.

"Okay, maybe not my dad... But my mom is really nice, really  _calm_." Yuzu added on the last part seeing how sensitive to noise and movement he was.

"Yuzu? Is that you?" Yuzu's mother called out from the kitchen. Her rescuer scurried farther back and Yuzu hastily called back before trying to coax him back.

"Yuzu's home?! Oh my baby girl is home again! I thought I'd never see you again!" Her father wailed as he came barreling over the couch to scoop Yuzu up in a bear hug. Yuzu was almost too busy with her father to see that her friend immediately bolted away.

"Ow! Dad you're hurting me!" Yuzu cried as her father crushed her already bruised ribs. He immediately dropped her at the pain in her voice and gasped when he saw the healing marks on her forehead and scratches in her clothing. Worst of all was the blood soiling her clothes and the dark purple bruising on her ankle.

"Yuzu, what happened?! Masaki, Yuzu's hurt!" He called, all traces of goofiness gone.

"What?!" Masaki exclaimed when she came rushing out of the kitchen.

Hurriedly checking Yuzu and turning her face this way and that, both overwhelmed her with questions. Yuzu began to cry as the full weight of everything hit her. Both her parents wrapped her up in a hug and closed the door, setting her down in the living room. Sobbing, Yuzu told them about everything that had happened to her from getting mad at Karin to trying to get her rescuer to come inside their house. When she was done, Masaki and her father just looked at each other.

"Call him, Isshin." Masaki said. Isshin nodded and Yuzu looked up.

"What about the creature that saved me? He got scared and ran away when dad hugged me..." Yuzu said. Masaki pulled her exhausted daughter into her arms.

"I'm sorry honey, but we can't let him near you until we know more about him. From the way you described him, he's most likely something that we already know is a very dangerous being. Why he didn't hurt you, we don't know." Masaki said. Yuzu sniffed.

"What do you think he is? Does this have to do with the talk Karin's going to have about spirits?" Yuzu asked. Her sister had been able to see spirits ever since a few years ago, and Yuzu was pretty sure that what had saved her was a spirit of some type.

"...Yes. We were going to wait to talk to Karin until as late as possible, but now it seems that we can't wait anymore, especially now that it seems you're becoming spiritually aware. There are certain spirits that aren't exactly human, they're dangerous and can kill you if you don't know how to fight them." Masaki said. Yuzu's eyes widened.

"But it's okay Yuzu, your dad and I are actually pretty experienced with this sort of thing. So long as you're with us, you will always be safe." Masaki said as she kissed Yuzu's forehead.

"That creature kept me safe though too. He protected me and healed me, so would he really hurt me? He might be dangerous, but I don't think he's dangerous to me..." Yuzu said quietly. Masaki sighed. Until Yuzu knew everything that was going on, she likely wouldn't understand why that was so hard to trust.

"I know you think that, but please, don't go looking for him. We don't know what he is or what he's capable of." Masaki said.

-x-

**Ichigo .?.?.?**

Ichigo paced around agitatedly. He wanted to go back to that little girl, the one that tugged at his mind, the part of him that remembered who he was. She had been so scared of him at first and he'd wanted to run away just like he had with the first girl, but he knew he couldn't. She was injured, vulnerable. So he had stayed and hoped he could at least get near enough to heal her before she ran away from him. And he had, but she didn't run away. She let him hold her, talked to him, tried to let him come inside her house. Even the words she spoke sounded nice, though they scratched at the part of him he knew was off limits. But she hadn't screamed or been scared of him at the end, so that counted for a lot.

He would go to her if it wasn't for the two other souls in that house, the ones who he knew could seriously hurt him. The woman felt like the souls Ichigo had seen hanging around the buildings by the place where Ichigo had fought the snake-like hollow, and the man felt like the small girl in the black robes who had been trying to catch him. They were both powerful and together would put up a fight he didn't want to fight.

So now he was left all alone, restless and frustrated.

He needed to kill something, hunt down a hollow to keep himself from going to that girl. The sun was going to set soon, so Ichigo decided he would stay in this town to hunt instead of going to Hueco Mundo. Nights were for this world, and days were for Hueco Mundo.

Sniffing around, Ichigo was disappointed to find that there weren't any hollows here yet. He would have to wait for one to show up before he could begin his hunt. Pacing around, Ichigo decided to find a better place to wait than out in the open. Maybe the park?

Hopping over the houses, Ichigo shot off in the direction of the park. The closer he got, the more he sensed something else following him. Eventually he stopped, jumping down to hide in some bushes. Waiting with baited breath, Ichigo cast out his senses to try and figure out what was out there. With a jolt, he realized it was the man at that little girl's house, her father. Had he followed Ichigo? But Ichigo had made absolutely sure to hide himself and erase his signature...

Eyes peeled for movement, Ichigo grew stiffer as he felt the man drawing nearer. Finally he saw the man coming down the street, but he didn't look angry or like he was about to fight, so Ichigo resisted the urge to run. Looking both ways, the man hastily crossed the street and jogged down the sidewalk. He didn't even so much as glance towards Ichigo when he ran past him towards the park. Once he was gone, Ichigo relaxed a little. So he wasn't following Ichigo, they just happened to be going to the same place. Curious, Ichigo left his bushes to follow the man a safe distance away. He was pretty fast for not using any energy, and it seemed like he was worried. Ichigo could see it on his face every time he looked around. Was something wrong? Was the little girl alright?

Once they reached the park, Ichigo watched as the man headed towards one of the clearings. That was unfortunate, Ichigo would have to be a lot more careful if he wanted to continue stalking this man. Disappearing into the trees surrounding the clearing, Ichigo scurried as close as he dared to where the man was heading. The children Ichigo had seen leaving the little girl earlier were playing in what he now saw was a soccer field, kicking around a ball to each other as they cheered their teammates on. Ichigo watched as the man ran up to the group of kids, calling out to a girl with black hair.

"Karin! Come here, we're going home." He yelled with a wave to the girl. "Karin" gave him a confused look before jogging over. Was this his daughter? So then she was that little girl's sister. An image of the two girls standing together flashed into Ichigo's head before something stole them away. It left a sharp pain in his head that he struggled not to make noise by scratching at himself. These memories hurt.

"Why? Can't I just finish this game - it's not even dark yet." Karin said as she crossed her arms. Her father shook his head and took her hand.

"No, you need to come home now. Your mother and I need to have a serious discussion with you and your sister." He said. Karin looked surprised at her father's attitude.

"Why? What's wrong - do you need me to go get Yuzu?" Karin asked in a concerned voice as she jogged to keep up with her father. The other kids protested, but let her go. All children instinctively sense when a peer is in trouble.

"Your sister already came home, covered in scratches and in pain from a broken ankle." Karin's eyes widened and she looked panicked. "She'll be fine for now, but she shouldn't have walked home alone. From now on, you two are to stick together and stay at with us until we get this all sorted out." Her father said. Ichigo scrambled back into the bushes as they came closer to him, still unaware they were being watched.

"What?! What happened?" Karin asked.

"We'll tell you when we get home, but for now trust the decision that your mother and I have made." He said.

They quickly passed Ichigo without incident, leaving the park at a brisk pace. Ichigo decided not to push his luck further by following the two home. He would check up on them later when they weren't so... suspicious. For now he was content to process everything he had seen and heard. He didn't really understand what they had been saying to each other, but the names used did. Karin and Yuzu... The sharp pain was back in his head and this time he did scratch at it. It turns out that was the wrong thing to do because the moment his clawed fingers tangled themselves in his long orange spikes, it was like he was tugging memories to the surface. Suddenly he was ripping at his hair, short now as he curled up in a bathroom, desperately trying to stop the pain. Fuzzy panic mixed with the clear pain he was in now, rolling waves crashing through his head like a hammer.

Screeching, Ichigo violently shook his head trying to dislodge the memories. He panted as the memory disappeared, shoved back into it's box. Shaking, he ran his clawed hands over his mask, trying not to bring that part of his mind back. He wasn't ready yet, and he didn't know why. Letting out a shaky breath, Ichigo opened his eyes and looked around. He wasn't in the bathroom anymore, he was here in the park.

Shaken by the sudden memory, Ichigo stood up and wrapped his arms around himself. He was scared, he didn't understand what was happening. He wanted to run away, but he didn't have anywhere to go. What if going back to Yuzu meant he would have more episodes like this? His mind was too clouded to connect that it wasn't just Yuzu causing this, it was him. He was getting worse, or rather he was getting stronger. Ichigo was growing, but the hollow was still trapped like this, an animal.

Looking around, Ichigo didn't want to stay here anymore. Walking away in a random direction, Ichigo began to move faster, breaking into a jog, then a run. The need to flee took over his rational mind and he flew out of the park, running to god knows where.

-x-

**Educational Extracurricular Academic Student Club**

"Go ahead and just set your stuff down in the back, my assistant Tessai will help you set up your things later." Kisuke said with a wave of his fan. Rukia, Orihime, and Chad all nodded before heading to the back of the store. Yoruichi stayed behind to glare daggers at Kisuke.

"My my, Yoruichi-san, why such a sour face?" Kisuke asked. Yoruichi sauntered up to him and grit her teeth.

"This wasn't part of the plan Kisuke." Yoruichi hissed. Kisuke looked over in the direction of Rukia.

"Ah, but it is now. I looked more into our little shinigami's latest doings and found that she has been tracking a very interesting set of events that all point to a rogue hollow." Kisuke said with a sly smile. Yoruichi sharply turned to look at Kisuke.

"And you think she's tracking the same hollow the Las Noches Imperio put a hit out on." Yoruichi finished. Kisuke nodded.

"You really think it's such a good idea to fish for information from her while doing the same with Orihime and Chad?" Yoruichi asked as she crossed her arms. Kisuke waved his hand.

"I'm pretty sure Rukia has already been informed of the Academy incident, so any information brought to light is probably already known by her. If not, I don't think it would hurt for her superiors to know." Kisuke answered.

Once the group of teens (well, one teen  _looking_ ) had returned, Kisuke ushered them all into one of the guest rooms where he had everyone sit down around a round table. Clapping his hands, Kisuke grinned at the group.

"Now, what should we do first? Braid each others hair, get some snacks, or gossip?" Kisuke said as he leaned in and rubbed his hands mischievously. Orihime couldn't help but laugh a little. When she first met the man, she had thought that he'd been joking with all the over-the-top antics, but after a while she realized that was just how he was. She rather quite liked the man after she got past the feeling that he was hiding something and was smarter than he originally appeared. Kisuke gasped suddenly.

"All three! We can do all three and then end the night with some scary stories!" Kisuke exclaimed. Yoruichi resisted the urge to groan as she rubbed her eyes. As much as Kisuke hid his true intentions, she could tell that these were all things he genuinely wanted to do. Jesus, he was such a hassle sometimes.

"That sounds good, though we might want to skip the scary stories for tonight..." Rukia said with a glance to Orihime and Chad. Seeing her concern, Orihime held up a hand and shook her head.

"I'll be fine if we tell some scary stories, so unless Chad has any objections I think we should go ahead with that plan." Orihime said. Chad gave a thumbs up and Kisuke's grin grew even wider.

"Then that settles it. Tessai, could you go get the snacks I prepared? Did any of you bring something to do the braiding with?" Kisuke asked. Rukia looked thoughtful and Orihime scratched her head.

"Well, I brought a brush and some hair ties, but I left all my accessories at home." Orihime said. Rukia coughed awkwardly and rubbed her arm. She really wasn't planning on sharing this, but...

"I didn't know what I should pack, so I brought most of the stuff my friends at the academy picked out..." Rukia said. Orihime cocked her head to the side. "It's not like I even got the chance to see all of them, so I don't really know just what kind of stuff is in there." Rukia quickly stuttered.

"I'm sure it's all good stuff, why don't we go get everything? We can change into our pajamas as well." Orihime said as she took Rukia's arm and led her out of the room. Rukia continued to spout excuses as she was dragged along by Orihime. When they returned Orihime was wearing a set of matching pajamas with cartoon shrimp (?) covering them. Rukia herself was wearing pastel pink jammies covered in rabbits to match the slippers on her feet. Once inside they found the table covered in food and drinks. Mouth watering, Orihime quickly sat down her stuff and looked at the spread. Tea, juice, and water were set out alongside various snacks and pastries, some of them ordinary and some of them strange things Orihime had never seen before.

"Wow! Where did you get all this stuff from?" Orihime asked. Chad and Rukia were also enthralled with the display. Kisuke smiled.

"Well, I do run a convenience store, so some of these are products that customers don't buy a lot of or were in storage. The rest are just some things I went out and bought." Kisuke said. Pointing to one, Orihime asked what it was.

"It looks spicy, what flavor is it?" Orihime asked.

"I'm not sure you would like that one Orihime, it's really spicy. Not to mention none of my customers really liked it, said that the combination of wasabi, peanuts, and rice krispie tasted weird." Kisuke said with a sniff. None of them appreciated his merchandise.

"Really? But that sounds amazing!" Orihime exclaimed as she reached forward to take the snack. Rukia gagged and Chad turned a little green when Orihime bit into the green, brown and white krispie mess. Munching thoughtfully, Orihime's eyes lit up and she took another bite.

"Mmmmf, this is really good!" Orihime said around her mouthful of treat. Kisuke looked like he was going to cry.

"Ugh, maybe we should wait to eat until we start the braiding..." Yoruichi said, slightly sick. Orihime shrugged and continued to eat.

Once everything was out and Orihime had finally stopped eating the abomination, everyone began picking partners. Yoruichi wisely chose to forfeit that particular activity as Orihime chose Kisuke (who gladly accepted after deciding she was truly the only one deserving of his merchandise and time) and Rukia chose Chad.

"Are these yours, Rukia?" Chad asked picking up some sparkly hairclips. They were covered in chibi bunnies, cats, and birds. Rukia turned bright red and Chad suddenly realized why Rukia had been acting so weird earlier.

"I didn't even know those were in there - guess one of my friends slipped it into my bag!" Rukia quickly said with a slightly more emphatic shrug than was necessary.

"...I see." Chad said. As Orihime began brushing Kisuke's hair, Kisuke casually started up a conversation.

"So, how have things been going as local shinigami?" Kisuke asked. Rukia paused from pulling Chad's hair away from his eyes (which she realized she'd never actually seen before).

"Fairly well, though I didn't expect things to get so eventful so fast..." Rukia said. Kisuke nodded.

"I suppose it was pretty unexpected to go from those first few days of peace to fighting a hollow with humans developing powers." Kisuke said. Rukia frowned.

"I would be fine if it was just that, but my first few days weren't all that peaceful." Rukia said. Orihime looked at her.

"What do you mean? Don't they start off new shinigami slow?" Orihime asked. Rukia shook her head.

"Normally yes, but I was already in the World of the Living on a special mission when the then local shinigami was relieved of his position. About a day after that, my mission ended but we were getting reports of hollows going missing. Since Karakura was without a shinigami to officially investigate, I volunteered. It turns out I fit the profile for local shinigami and they decided I would be of greater help here than in the Soul Society." Rukia said. Kisuke looked at her curiously.

"You were the one investigating the disappearing hollows? I'd heard about that happening, but I thought it had stopped." Kisuke said.

"No, unfortunately hollows are still disappearing. All signs point to another hollow feeding on the hollows of this area, but we haven't been able to pick up a signature or hit on the hollow." Rukia said. Kisuke frowned.

"You don't think this hollow had anything to do with the Academy incident, do you? I heard that no one saw what really happened." Kisuke said. Orihime and Chad looked at each other.

"But we were at the academy, and there wasn't any creature there. There had been a break-in and one of the teachers had been killed." Orihime said. Rukia froze.

"What? You were there? But we have no record of any witnesses!" Rukia exclaimed. Orihime and Chad both looked extremely confused, so Yoruichi took it as time to reveal her part.

"They were there. I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to tell you this earlier, but what you remember from your time at the academy is false. When the two of you were found with your friends, you were all severely injured and had been attacked. Officials made a mistake and wiped your memories of the incident before you could be questioned." Yoruichi said. The last part was a lie of course, Yoruichi had purposely wiped their memories before they could be questioned with one of Kisuke's devices so they could restore their memories later and question them for themselves.

"What? You did that to us?" Orihime squeaked. They could just take her memories away any time they wanted?!

"Now hold on Orihime, if it really was a mix up, then it wasn't Yoruichi-san's fault. It was pretty gruesome at the academy, so maybe it was best you did forget..." Rukia said. Orihime looked at Yoruichi in distress.

"If what we remember isn't real, then what happened?" Orihime asked. Yoruichi held up her hands.

"I'm sorry Orihime, but we don't really know. No one ever found who or what had attacked you, but we did find the teacher's corpse. We kept an eye on you because whatever had happened there had boosted your spiritual awareness. You had greater reiatsu than before you entered the academy. That's probably why you unlocked your powers when you fought Sora, because you had already gained a link to your powers thanks to whatever had been in the academy. The only way we would know is if we were to somehow restore your memory." Yoruichi said with a sigh. She felt a little bad manipulating them like this, but she had done far worse in the name of a good cause. Kisuke put a finger to his chin and gave the four of them a thoughtful look.

"If you really wanted, I might actually be able to do just that..." Kisuke said.

"How?" Rukia asked.

"Well, on ordinary humans, such a thing would never be possible, but both Orihime and Chad are no longer ordinary humans. If you haven't noticed already, this shop is more than just an ordinary convenience store. I have very special goods here that assist in the function of reaping, and after so many years of dealing with these products, I have a certain expertise. I've always dabbled in inventing and most things soul-related, so I guess you could call me a scientist. I have something that might be able to bring back those memories that were erased. I'll only do it if Orihime and Chad agree to it." Kisuke said.

He wasn't ready quite yet to tell them just how much of a scientist he really was, so he settled with the semi-humble shop keeper image he had been portraying for years. Chad and Orihime looked at each other. Did they really want to remember the events of that night? Orihime opened her mouth and was about to answer when a cheery ringing started coming from Kisuke. Patting around his robes, Kisuke pulled out a phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?" He asked in a falsely cheery voice. He didn't appreciate being interrupted like that, especially when he was so close to gaining the information he was looking for.

"Ah! Isshin, how are you? How are young Yuzu and Karin -" Kisuke abruptly stopped as he listened to the voice on the other end. Listening, his face suddenly went from cheery to confused, to dark.

"I see. I'm on my way." Kisuke said, all traces of jovial attitude gone. Yoruichi tensed. Something must have happened.

"Are the Kurosaki's alright?" Yoruichi asked. Kisuke's three guests looked at him as Kisuke grabbed his hat and got up.

"Yuzu was just attacked in the woods on her way home. She's wounded but fine for the most part, so Isshin's going to get Karin while Masaki stays with Yuzu. I need you to come with me while Tessai watches over our guests." Kisuke said. Rukia stood up.

"I'm coming with you - as local shinigami, this is my town and my job to investigate." Rukia said. Kisuke clenched his jaw. He really didn't want her coming with him, he planned on investigating this alone.

"I think it's best if you stay here, Orihime and Chad need to be looked after." Kisuke said. Orihime looked between Rukia and Kisuke.

"Then why don't we just come with? Then Rukia could still do her duty while Chad and I stay safe with you at the Kurosaki's - besides, I can use my powers to heal this Yuzu." Orihime said. Chad nodded in agreement. Kisuke sighed. She unfortunately brought up a valid point, and he did want to see these perplexing powers of hers at work.

"Alright, but you need to do what Yoruichi-san and I say. No running off, no matter what." Kisuke said firmly. All three nodded and they set off.

-x-

**Ichigo .?.?.?**

Ichigo huffed as he lit atop a street light. He had absolutely no idea where he was going, but he knew that he just needed to  _keep moving_. He was still scared and shaken from the random memory that had slipped into his mind, and now he felt that something was going on. Sniffing anxiously around, Ichigo tensely shifted on his perch. He could sense a strong group of souls heading in the direction of Yuzu's house, and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. For Yuzu, he didn't feel that it was necessarily a bad thing since the souls felt friendly, but for Ichigo it was. Sensing the strength they carried, Ichigo bristled and began breathing heavier. He didn't want those souls anywhere, he just wanted to be left alone. He still bore scratches from his fight with the dark creature that had attacked Yuzu, and he was so tired. He just wanted somewhere to hide.

Feeling his skin crawl, Ichigo jumped off the street lamp in the opposite direction of the group of souls. Soaring over streets and buildings, Ichigo's mind sparked in recognition as he saw a bridge in the distance. He still remembered following the river that bridge went over to this town, so he decided to check it out. Coming closer, a chill ran down Ichigo's spine. Why was that?

Slowing down to a walk, Ichigo stopped crawling and stood up on two legs. There was something about this place...

A flicker of movement up ahead caught Ichigo's attention and he scurried to the side to hide behind a tree. There was a group of men walking near the bridge, over by a concrete bridge marker. Looking at one of the men, Ichigo turned his head. He was a skinny, balding thug wearing purple jumpsuit surrounded by equally thuggish looking men following him.

_Post-liposuction telletubby looking for the rest of his hair._

Ichigo blinked. What was that? He knew that those words had just come from him, but he didn't understand what they meant. Human speech tickled at the part of him that was locked away, but that didn't mean he understood. Sensing that these men weren't strong enough to see him, Ichigo slowly crept out from his hiding spot. Watching them leave, Ichigo began walking to the bridge. He didn't realize that he was holding his breath until he was actually on the bridge looking out at the river. Releasing a heavy breath, Ichigo watched the lazy water flowing beneath him. A feeling he couldn't place was welling up inside him.

Stepping closer to the edge, Ichigo sucked in a breath. He remembered crawling out of that river, and he remembered struggling in it...

Ichigo's legs moved of their own accord and suddenly he was across the safety railing. Water down his mouth, up his nose, choking strangling drowning him...

Ichigo's chest was heaving as he looked at the river. The current was so strong and dark, he couldn't fight it. He was so cold and scared, everything had just hurt so bad...

Slowly holding his arms out, Ichigo raised them from his sides, wind whipping his long hair about. As the sun slowly began to sink down in the sky, Ichigo's shoulders began to violently shake. Letting out a strangled sob, Ichigo dropped his arms down and sank to his knees. Crying out, Ichigo covered his head with his hands as he bent over. The terrible feeling he'd had at the park was back, but so much stronger. Now he knew that he was getting worse, but he didn't know what to do about it as memories threatened to spill over.

Wailing, Ichigo stumbled to his feet and threw himself back over the safety railing onto the bridge. He had to get out of here before this continued. Breaking into a pel-mel run, Ichigo fled from the bridge as fast as his four limbs could carry him. Terrified sobs escaped him as he ran, desperately searching for somewhere to hide. He needed somewhere to get away, somewhere memories wouldn't follow him. But unfortunately places like that didn't exist for Ichigo. All he had was what felt familiar, even if it was still a place of fear he would go to it to hide.

Skidding with a screech to avoid a car, Ichigo left the road hardly aware of where he was going. He didn't know it, but he was taking the same route he took to school every morning. Flying past houses slowly degrading in quality the further he went, Ichigo found himself in a rather shady neighborhood. Ichigo panted as he whipped his head around trying to find a place to hide. He froze when he smelled the faint odor of smoke wafting from the buildings. Slowly turning in a circle, Ichigo followed the scent that called to him the most.

Smoky apartments...

The sound of a car starting up behind Ichigo spooked him and he bolted for the run-down apartments. He slipped through the propped open front door and shot up the rickety stairs until he found the right hallway, nearly ramming into the wall as he sharply turned. His claws scrabbled slightly on the ratty old carpet as he ran down the hallway to the very end. Police tape covered the entrance to his apartment, but it had already been broken no doubt by the other residents looting his home.

Pushing his way through, Ichigo nearly ran into the kitchen table. Pain lanced through his head and suddenly _he was coloring a picture on the floor._

_He was drawing such a pretty picture for his mommy and he wanted to show her, but she was drinking her grown-up water again at the table, so he stayed quiet. It was hard for him to draw steady when he flinched every time his mommy stirred, but that was okay. Maybe his mommy would like this picture, the one where the angels weren't dying, they were fighting for the black eye monster. He did like these angels better than the last ones he'd drawn because they didn't have any blood on them and they weren't losing. Maybe that's why his mommy always ripped up his pictures. She said he was a terrible drawer and he supposed she must be right, but maybe she would like this one better. Maybe if she liked them enough she would buy him real crayons instead of the ones he found left behind at recess._

_A bottle crashed and Ichigo flinched_ , the sound in his memory mimicking the one in real life ending his revery. Ichigo had fallen gasping to the floor and had taken a bottle with him. Cradling his head, Ichigo crawled away from the kitchen to escape the memories there. His head hurt so bad and he couldn't think straight, terrible screaming rivaling the high pitched ringing in his ears. Claws scraped against his mask as more and more memories escaped the little box someone had tried so hard to stuff them in. Struggling to stand, Ichigo wobbled into the living room.

The living room... his bedroom.

_"Stop it! Why are you crying?!" Lena screeched as Ichigo keened in the corner. He desperately tried to hide himself in the dirty old sleeping bag and blankets that made up his bed, but Lena ripped them from him._

_"How the fuck do you expect me to sleep when you're out here screaming and muttering you goddamn PYSCHO?! Do you want that alte frau next door ratting on us again?!" Lena bellowed as she dragged Ichigo kicking and screaming out of bed._

_"Don't, DOn't ToucH me! Won't*hic* stop, STOP! They're gonna take me away agai- *hic* -n, please they won't stop STOP IT! GET AWA -" Ichigo's frantic screaming and struggling was cut off by Lena throwing him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him with a swift kick to the stomach._

_"SHUT UP!" Lena screamed. Loud knocking on the wall was heard and Lena whirled around._

_"YOU SHUT UP TOO SCHMUTZIGE ALTE HEXE! Ich sollte sofort darüber gehen..." Lena muttered the last part. Turning her bloodshot eyes back to Ichigo gasping on the floor, Lena grabbed his arm and pulled him in close enough to smell her rancid breath._

_"Sei Still, du Bengel..." Lena whispered into Ichigo's ear. Finally sucking in a breath, Ichigo squirmed and tried to pull away from her touch, oh how he hated to be touched. They were all touching him, they were all hurting him and they wouldn't stop..._

Ichigo's claws were digging into his scalp hard enough to draw blood now. The screaming in his head had gotten louder now, memories crashing into him faster than he could pull them back.

_Stop stop stop stop stopsto **pstop stopstopstop stopstop**_

Gripping his mask, Ichigo let out a strangled sob as the memories continued to slip out. He hated them, and he wanted this to stop but he didn't want to shove it down either because that hurt more in a different way. He saw such strange things, but none of them were sticking, just the feelings they brought and he hated it. He hated this so bad, he hated this hated this hate hate hate hat _e hate hate hate hate_

Ichigo barely noticed that he was now gripping his mask so hard that it was starting to creak under the pressure. A cracking sound finally drew his attention as he felt the mask painfully shift. For a moment it felt better as silence once again muted his mind, but then everything exploded in searing pain. Ichigo screamed as he felt something deep inside him twist, black blood oozing out of the crack he had made in his mask to dribble down his face and stain the ground. Curling up, Ichigo slammed his head to the ground to try and relieve his pain, but it only served to further throw himself into a frenzy. It hurt so bad and he didn't understand why, everything felt so wrong and jagged.

Now Ichigo couldn't distinguish the screaming in his head from his own. Clutching his head in agony, Ichigo proceeded to scream and slam his head to the floor. More and more cracks were forming in his mask, but he didn't notice. He was simply in too much pain. Ichigo could feel himself slipping further and further into darkness but had no way of propelling himself away from it. Minutes multiplied and turned into hours as Ichigo struggled, but eventually the darkness won out.

Everything faded as Ichigo fell...

.

.

.

D

o

w

n

x

Silence in the darkness. Then cold rain and howling wind.

Ichigo's eyes shot open and he gasped before coughing. Dragging himself onto his knees, Ichigo hung his head and panted. Holding up a shaking hand, Ichigo looked at it. He could have sworn he'd had claws before, and white skin. Now the only strange thing about him was the soaked black robes he was wearing.

His shihakusho.

Jumping to his feet, Ichigo looked around with wide eyes. He knew this place, knew it like the back of his hand. As usual, he stood on the side of a skyscraper defying gravity as he stared out through the pouring rain to the darkened skies. Thunder and lightning continuously rolled through his world rivaling the constant howling wind and scraping of metal as skyscrapers crumbled and crashed against each other in a constant state of decay. Most of his skyscrapers had been drowned in the torrent of inky black water churning not far below him.

Feeling the fragile glass of the skyscraper beneath him cracking, Ichigo jumped as far up the skyscraper as he could, panic welling up inside him.

_No no no no no no no no, **no**. This wasn't real, Lena had said this wasn't real. I know this isn't real, I know it._

Ichigo's breath was coming in short gasps as wind whipped his hair wildly around his face.

" _ **Ichigo! Why are you doing this? Do you want them to drag you back to that place?!**_ " Came familiar screeching from behind Ichigo.

* * *

 **Alte frau**  - old crone

 **Schmutzige alte hexe**  - dirty old witch

 **Ich sollte sofort darüber gehen...** \- I ought to go over there right now

 **Sei still, du Bengel**  - be quiet now, little brat

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all thought I was kidding with setting up a genuine sleepover? Hell no, a sleepover at Kisuke's is all I want, and apparently it's all he wants too. I fricken love writing Kisuke. What a dude.  
> Now why in the world would the Rukongai suddenly be a merchant town? How in the world are there trading ports if we've never seen any evidence of seas or oceans in Bleach? More importantly, what's going on with Ichigo? Why does Ichigo already know where he is, and why does our bleached berry already know Ichigo? Wherempst could Ichigo be dragged to? Tune in next time for more unanswered questions!  
> Keep looking for the mysteries, 'cause there are a lot in here. I don't just change or add something in for the heck of it, if things don't line up or seem strange, it's not because the Bleachverse doesn't naturally bend in that way and I left it like that, I did something to make all these changes. There's something big going on...
> 
> (Inspired by fanfiction.net review)- To be clear I wasn't saying there wouldn't be romance in this story. I personally don't care for the romance stuff and can only handle it when it's introduced into an action, angst, etc fic as a complementary element, but too many times I've had the romance element ruin it for me because it's just slapped in there, written poorly, or hurts the story. I have found fics before with romance in them that I actually really enjoyed because it was written well and made me actually like the ship (which is hard to do since I don't ship anything) without destroying plot.  
> If I were to put romance in here, it would serve as a hurt/comfort thing to compliment the main goals of the story. It probably wouldn't even be ranked third or fourth in the order of importance in the story. I only add things to this story when they make sense to what's happening and what needs to happen. Not only that, but I'm actually pretty curious to write romance - I think it would be interesting and fun.  
> So I do want to write romance, but things are still up in the air. To give you an idea of how prominent it would be if I did, I'd say that this story would be written 2/3 of the way done without romance. I don't know the exact number of chapters I plan to write, but 40-50 seems a good goal to possibly expand on. Hell, if I could write like, 80, I would. We'll see.  
> I'll talk about this later and let you guys know beforehand what direction I choose (though I already know which one I need to do). Until then I won't say nada about pairings or types or time.
> 
> I mentioned something before about thinking of rewriting the beginning of Rebirth: Sternenprinz because it wasn't as dynamic or interesting as I wanted it to be. I wanted to shuffle around things so that the events would line up better and things wouldn't take so long to pick up, but I'm not sure I can do that now. I think I'll wait until I've put out more to make any decisions, but it's looking like I wouldn't do any rewriting until I was finished or close (which is leagues away).
> 
> As always, let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 6: Truth Be Told...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now is a good time to say that while there hasn't been anything graphic so far, there will definitely be disturbing scenes and chapters later. I mean this one's fine, but I'm just warning, everything's way tamer than my warning in the prologue led people to believe so far and it won't stay that way. The next couple of chapters will probably sort of ease into some violence, nothing major, but then we might get some graphic stuff that makes you go "oh, shit" but it won't be anything compared to the stuff that makes you go "OH SHIT," you know? Ichigo hasn't lived a good life.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Speech/Thoughts_

_**Shiro (Zangetsu)** _

**Old Man/Ossan (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 6: Truth Be Told...**

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

" _ **Ichigo! Why are you doing this? Do you want them to drag you back to that place?!**_ " Came familiar screeching from behind Ichigo. Whipping around, Ichigo came face to face with his bleached double, normal manic smile twisted in rage. Stumbling back in shock, Ichigo began to stutter.

"N-no! No no no no no, you're  _not real_!" Ichigo cried. Growling, Shiro shot forward and grabbed Ichigo by his shihakusho.

" _ **The fuck's wrong with you? Ya didn't decide to shove down all your normal memories too, huh?!**_ " Shiro bellowed into Ichigo's face. Ichigo didn't bother to break Shiro's hold on him and started frantically tugging at his hair, eyes squeezed shut.

"It's just another dream! Wake up, wake up wake up wake up WAKE UP!" Ichigo screamed. Shiro stopped his frantic chanting by violently shaking him.

" ** _Stop it! What's wrong with you?! This isn't some stupid dream!_** " Shiro yelled inches from Ichigo's face. Ichigo's eyes finally flew open and he shoved Shiro off him, panting.

"Of course it is! How could any of this be real?! YOUR'E not real, you're just apart of some fever dream my fucked up head made! I spent years thinking my nightmares were real, that MONSTERS had dragged me away to this nightmare land, convinced that it was all real! I WAS FUCKING CRAZY! I'M STILL INSANE!" Ichigo screeched at the top of his lungs, eyes wild as he violently jabbed at his head to make a point. For a moment, Shiro just stared at Ichigo.

" _ **Oh my god, you really think everything that happened was fake?!**_ " Shiro said, a combination of shocked and enraged. Ichigo let out a short bark of laughter and ran his hands over his face, leaning back so far he looked like he was going to fall.

"How could I think it was real? I tried to tell everyone, but they knew I was batshit crazy! You told me that you'd always be with me, you'd be waiting to fight me again if I ever grew weak on you, you'd train me to make your power mine, but you wanna know what happened when I woke up every morning? YOU WEREN'T THERE! OSSAN WASN'T THERE! MY POWERS WEREN'T THERE!" Ichigo screamed, stomping on the glass as he bent back over again. Unfortunately the force of his foot bearing down on the glass was too much for the fragile material to handle, and it promptly shattered. Jumping back into safety with a flash, Ichigo watched wide eyed as black ooze bubbled up from the building to creep towards him.

" _ **Don't let it touch you!**_ " Shiro screeched as he shoved Ichigo out of the way.

" ** _Whatever the hell's going on, you need to let me take over!_** " Shiro exclaimed.

"What?! No, you need to let me leave! This isn't real and I -" Ichigo was interrupted by Shiro aiming a knee for his stomach. Ichigo's reflexes proved too fast and he quickly dodged the attack.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo exclaimed. Shiro's large khyber blade was pulled out now as he advanced. Ichigo looked for his own dual blades only to realize they weren't on him. Snapping his eyes back to Shiro, Ichigo realized his spirit wasn't wielding his usual inverse Zangetsu. That was  _his_  blade.

" _ **I told you what would happen if you were too weak to fight, whether it's against me or for yourself. We don't have time to sort out what's going on with you, but you're obviously too screwed up right now to take care of the issue, so I'm going to do it for you.**_ " Shiro growled. The two squared off against each other, but Ichigo was at a clear disadvantage not having his blades. How the hell did Shiro manage to take his sword?

"Whatever happened to me earning the right to be King?!" Ichigo exclaimed. He was stalling, and the other knew it.

 _ **"** **Let's just say that ended when you chose to hide so much of yourself from us. If you had really accepted us, you would have let us see what was hiding in those walls you put up. Even when your soul is tearing itself up from the inside, you refuse to let us see your memories! We didn't even know you had a human body, so when you went and somehow got yourself killed your soul went into overdrive. The damage, pain, and trauma you've been hiding over the years finally got out and now it's threatening to drown you!"**_ Shiro called out over the raging storm. Ichigo stayed silent, confused. As far as he knew, this was just how things were in his inner world. There was always water covering his buildings, was the higher water level really that bad? Sure, the black ooze was new...

 _ **"I tried to take over and put everything back in their boxes so we could sort this thing out and heal you, but you kept refusing me. You kept fighting for control, for yourself. You and your memories are the same, you can't be Ichigo and still shove down all that shit! We've known for years that your inner world was on the edge, but we didn't think the chaos would end up this toxic! Whatever being in that hell hole did to you is eating at your soul. If just being there was bad enough to make you this sick, then do you have any idea what would happen if you went back there now?! The closer you get to being Ichigo, the closer they are to bringing you back, SO LET ME TAKE OVER!"**_ Shiro screamed as he launched himself at Ichigo. Scrambling to get out of the way, Ichigo desperately tried to play along with this figment of his imagination.

"What about the Old Man?! What does he have to say about all this?!" Ichigo cried as he dodged a swing to the head only to nearly get kicked in the head.

 _ **"Thought you already knew that since you were the one who put him to sleep! Apparently he's the one those bastards are using to get to you - so I let you put him under! Since he's the connection, I ain't waking him up to deal with your shit!"**_  Shiro yelled as he nearly skewered Ichigo.

The next blow was faster than Ichio could block without his swords, and he barely had any time to cry out when Shiro knocked him over the head. Stunned, Ichio couldn't stop Shiro from grabbing him and shunpoing leagues across his inner world. He himself had never even seen this part before, but now he knew what Shiro had meant by him hiding things in walls. Massive walls of ice rose up from the dark sea to section off miles of his world. What had once been sturdy was now cracked and chipped everywhere as the pelting rain beat down on it like a hammer. Two massive crevices stood out from the eroding walls as howling wind gushed from them. If Ichigo squinted, he thought he could actually see shadows escaping, but he didn't have time to contemplate this as Shiro dragged him kicking and screaming to the cracks.

"Stop! What are you doing?! STOP!" Ichigo screamed, but his efforts were futile.

 _ **"If you won't let me help you, then you're just going to have to stay out of my way until you're healed!"**_  Shiro yelled before throwing Ichigo head first into the void beyond the ice. Ichigo tried to scream, but no sound reached his ears. Instead he fell into darkness, the world fading from him...

-x-

**Kurosaki Clinic**

Despite not feeling the best, Yuzu couldn't help but giggle a little at their new guests. Apparently when her father had called Kisuke to come over and help him, the man was in the middle of hosting a sleepover for a couple of students that had just joined his club. Indeed, the two girls were wearing pajamas while the rather tall boy was sporting half braided hair covered in sparkly animal clips and bows. Kisuke himself had a few stray bows and clips in his hair from their unfinished activity. Karin however, found none of it funny as she rushed to her sister. She'd just heard from her father about what had happened, and now she was seeing it for herself.

"Yuzu! I'm so sorry, I never should have left you alone in the park I should have just walked home with you!" Karin burst out when she saw the blood on Yuzu's clothes and her bruised ankle. Yuzu pulled her distraught sister in for a hug.

"I'm fine, really! Besides, Kisuke says that one of the friends he brought over will be able to fix me up real soon." Yuzu said. Karin held onto her nonetheless until Masaki put a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"It's okay Karin, but we need to talk to you two for a minute." Masaki said as she pulled Karin onto the couch next to her. Isshin looked to Kisuke.

"Should you explain, or us?" He asked. Kisuke put a hand up.

"These are your children, you decide. I'm perfectly happy to wait while Yoruichi investigates the woods." Kisuke said. Satisfied, Isshin turned to Masaki and nodded.

"Alright, then let's all sit down." Masaki said. Once everyone was seated, she took a deep breathe and began.

"As the two of you know, when your father and I first met, we weren't exactly meant to be friends. He came from a family of people belonging to a life that generally opposed mine. My family didn't like his and those that shared the same life as him. They wanted me to marry my cousin in order to preserve our family name, but I met your father. Something about him drew me to him, and something about me drew him to me. We ended up meeting more and more until one day, we both found ourselves chasing down the same assignment. Things went wrong quickly and I ended up saving your father's life. Shortly after, I got very sick and fell into a coma." Masaki said with a far off look. Yuzu interrupted.

"And then dad saved you with his medical skills. After that you fell in love... But what does this have to do with what happened to me?" Yuzu asked. Masaki and Isshin both looked at each other before smiling at Yuzu.

"Because we only told you part of the story. You see, your mother and I aren't ordinary humans. If we were to tell you about everything that had happened, we would have had to tell you about the afterlife and what we are." Isshin said. Karin's eyes widened.

"Wait, are you telling us you knew about ghosts and stuff  _before_  I told you they were there?" Karin asked. Masaki couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh honey, we're able to see spirits as well as anyone. We just couldn't tell you that until you were ready for the whole talk. It wasn't all that surprising when you started being able to see spirits, but now that Yuzu has accidentally gained that same ability, we need to talk. Both of you will likely become completely spiritually aware before you die." Masaki said.

"You see, your father and I contain abnormally high amounts of  _Reiryoku_ , or spirit energy. Reiryoku manifests itself into  _Reiatsu_ , a physical form of our reiryoku that can bee seen and used in various ways. We are part of a group of beings that can use these abilities to perform different duties necessary to the cycle of life and death." Masaki said. Yuzu and Karin were both hooked now.

"You see, when a person dies, their soul leaves their body and either stays here with us in the World of the Living, or goes to a place called the Soul Society. The Soul Society is basically the afterlife where souls go to live out the rest of their life. When they die there, they are reborn into the World of the Living in a different body as a different person. But sometimes souls get stuck in the World of the Living and can't move on. These souls can become corrupt and turn into creatures called Hollows. Some are innocent souls who were in so much pain that they transformed while others are evil souls that enjoy the torment of others. Either way, they all grow an enormous hunger for souls and begin eating souls. Hollows live in another world called Hueco Mundo, but they come here to hunt. This along with natural birth and death creates a very delicate balance that must be kept. Your father and I are both beings with the ability to do so." Masaki said. Yuzu's jaw dropped and Karin was trying her best to look skeptical.

"What are you? You're not ghosts... are you?" Yuzu asked. Isshin and Masaki both laughed.

"Oh no, but I would sort of be considered one if it wasn't for what happened between your mother and I. You see, I am a Shinigami, a master of death!" Isshin cried as he struck what he thought was a mighty pose. Masaki snorted and shook her head.

"Your father does not kill anyone, just to be clear. Shinigami are humans who have died and trained to gain special abilities in the afterlife. They assist souls in their journey to the afterlife as well as killing hollows. Shinigami use special weapons called Zanpakuto to purify hollows' souls, allowing them to rejoin the cycle of rebirth. I can also kill hollows, but when I do, their soul is destroyed and cannot be reborn. This is because I am what's called a Quincy, a living or passed human capable of gaining very special abilities." Masaki said. Karin looked between the two.

"Then how in the world did you two get together? Isn't dad technically dead?" Karin asked. Isshin huffed in offense at his daughter's comment.

"Just because I'm mostly semi-alive-ish doesn't make me any less good for your mother!" Isshin pouted. Masaki giggled and put a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"We already told you half of what happened. Shinigami and Quincy don't really get along, but I kept seeing your father going on missions in the World of the Living. The 'assignment' we were chasing down was actually a mission to hunt down a rogue hollow that had attacked and wounded a quincy in the Soul Society. When I caught up to your father, he was badly wounded and was in serious trouble. I let the hollow bite me in order to get close enough to kill it. Unfortunately, it infected me and I became very sick. When I tried to reach out for help, I was attacked by a strange group of people. Apparently that hollow was supposed to be a secret and led to your father and I violating a sacred rule of both the Shinigami and Quincy; never attempt to fuse souls, hybrid or artificial. Even though it wasn't my fault that the infection was hollowfying me, I was still wanted. I had no idea what to do until I was approached by another exile, a strange yet humble shopkeeper..." Masaki said. Yuzu and karin both looked at Masaki before turning to Kisuke in shock.

"Kisuke?!" They both exclaimed. Isshin laughed and threw an arm around Kisuke who smiled behind his fan.

"Yup! Kisuke got the boot too because of some weird rule. He knew that Masaki was innocent and was being blamed to cover up something, so he took her in and offered to hide her. We never did find out who or why someone was pulling strings up in the Soul Society, but it didn't really matter anymore. Masaki became gravely ill and fell into a coma. I found out when I came back to the World of the Living to check up on her. I also found out that I was probably in danger too, but I refused to leave Masaki, however dangerous it was staying with her. She had saved me, and I owed her the same." Isshin said with a solemn nod. Now Kisuke decided to interject.

"By all rights Masaki should not have been able to escape the implications of hollowification, but something happened before the hollow could completely change her. The original plan was to create a fake human body, a gigai, for Isshin and tie it to Masaki's soul. Shinigami are the opposite of Quincy, and Humans the opposite of Hollows, so by placing Isshin in such a body, he would be able to block Masaki's hollowification. We did this and it worked, but not long after the hollow in Masaki began receding. For some reason, something in her very being was repelling it from her soul. This was completely impossible and is one of the few mysteries in this world that still stumps me..." Kisuke said the last part with an unreadable expression. Shaking his head, he continued.

"It took two years for the hollow to completely disappear, but by that time Isshin and Masaki had already fallen in love. Even though the charges had dropped due to the Soul Society finally being able to reject such an outrageous ruling and Masaki was no longer in danger, they had already made a life for themselves. I agreed to continue to hide them so they could carry on with their lives, and the rest is history..." Kisuke finished. Yuzu let out a breath.

"Wow..." Yuzu whispered. Forgetting that they weren't really apart of this, Orihime piped up from where she was sitting with Chad and Rukia with a round of enthusiastic applause. Completely ignoring the fact that she was clapping over serious real life events, Isshin shot up and began bowing like an actor receiving thanks.

"Thank you! Such a dashing and heroic tale, I know! The suspense! The drama! The sorrow!" Isshin cried, fake tears spilling down his face as he got a little caught up in his own passion. Karin shook her head at Orihime.

"Don't encourage him!" Karin said. Orihime stopped clapping and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, it was just such a good story! I had no idea two people I've seen around Karakura town for so long had such riveting tales!" Orihime exclaimed. Isshin began bowing and posing again, all while crying fake tears of joy.

"I have been waiting for  _years_  to tell this story, and now I even have an audience!" Isshin cried out joyfully. Karin rolled her eyes.

"Okay, cool. But how does this all circle back to Yuzu?" Karin asked. Isshin sobered up a little at the mention of his wounded daughter.

"Ah, that. You see, because you two are the children of spiritually aware beings with considerable power, you're beginning to inherit our power. We predicted Yuzu might never be spiritually aware enough to see spirits, but the creature that attacked her in the woods changed things. It did something to Yuzu to make her more aware of spirits than she had previously been. Yuzu still can't see spirits clear enough to distinguish one from another, but it's enough that she will likely become fully spiritually aware before she dies. I brought Kisuke here to try and figure out just what that creature did to Yuzu and if she's in any danger." Isshin said. Karin hummed thoughtfully and looked at Yuzu in concern.

"You really think something could be wrong?" Karin asked. Yuzu looked mostly fine to her...

"Yuzu would have displayed symptoms of anything bad already if there was anything, but we still need to check. She also came in direct contact with a hollow, the creature that saved her, so we need to figure out how it's reiatsu affected her." Isshin explained. Rukia suddenly seemed a lot more interested and Yuzu sat up.

"Wait, you mean the other creature who fought off that thing in the woods is a hollow? But he wasn't acting like how you said hollows were... He was nice and healed me, and he carried me home!" Yuzu said. Masaki sighed.

"I know honey, but he's still an unknown hollow we've never seen before. I don't know why he helped you like that, but the only hollows who choose  _saving_  a soul over  _eating_  a soul aren't completely hollows, they're usually part something else." Masaki said.

"Then he's probably that!" Yuzu exclaimed. Kisuke shook his head.

"The Soul Society has records of every hybrid and abnormal soul out there, artificial or born. If he truly was some sort of hybrid, then he would already be accounted for and living somewhere else. I must admit from the way your mother described your story, he did sound quite interesting. Perhaps he's beginning to evolve prematurely into a sentient adjuchas..." Kisuke mused. Rukia looked like she was beginning to connect this hollow to the rogue that was killing and consuming the hollows of Karakura town, but he had made the connection the moment he'd heard Yuzu's story. He also was fairly certain that such a unique hollow could be the hollow Las Noches Imperio put a hit out on, but he wouldn't know for sure until he saw it for himself. If only Yuzu had been aware enough to make out it's features...

"Please try and understand, Yuzu. We don't know what's going on here but we are certain that hollows are dangerous. Whether or not he's dangerous to you is a risk we're not willing to take." Masaki said. Yuzu crossed her arms and fell silent. She could understand her mother, but she still felt that the hollow was friendly.

"I hate to interrupt, but did you notice anything... strange about the hollow you encountered?" Rukia asked, amethyst eyes carefully watching Yuzu. Yes, Kisuke would certainly have to be careful around this one...

"What do you mean?" Yuzu asked. Rukia seemed to debate with herself before pulling out her denreishinki identical to a flip phone (not very modern, but practical).

"This is a device shinigami use to track hollows, a denreishinki from the Soul Society." Rukia said. Masaki and Isshin shared a look with each other, but Kisuke subtly put up a hand to signal that she was with him.

"Ah, a shinigami! Don't suppose you could tell a humble former foot soldier how things are in his squad, eh?" Isshin probed with an elbow to the petite girl's ribs. Rukia didn't quite seem how to deal with him.

"Er, I'm sorry but I don't really recognize you from your days as a shinigami... Besides, I haven't been to the Soul Society since I was instated as Karakura's local shinigami." Rukia said awkwardly. She didn't notice it, but Masaki and Isshin immediately relaxed after that. Kisuke had to admit he was a little surprised at the move Isshin just pulled. It was hard to remember sometimes that the man had once been a captain. At least they knew now that Rukia had no idea who Isshin was and now thought he was just a simple foot soldier.

"Don't worry about it." Masaki said with a wink as Isshin pouted. Rukia nodded and continued.

"...Anyways, this denreishinki is programmed to pick up any type of hollow and almost any soul. A couple days ago, hollows started going missing in Karakura town, but my denreishinki wasn't picking up on anything. After a while I managed to come across a fresh hollow corpse and saw that hollows weren't disappearing at all, they were being eaten. Because no hollow was showing up, the Soul Society requested that someone take on the duty of becoming the new local shinigami so they could begin investigating as soon as possible. I volunteered after my Nii-sam- er - a captain recommended the position to me." Rukia said.

"The hollow you described seemed fairly abnormal, so I was wondering if it was the same hollow I've been hunting." Rukia explained.

"Oh, well I didn't exactly see anything..." Yuzu said. Rukia hummed thoughtfully.

"But it picked you up, didn't it? What did it feel like? Do you think you could maybe guess how tall it is?" Rukia asked. Yuzu scrunched her eyebrows in thought.

"Well, I guess if I really try to remember, he  _might_  have been as tall as Dad - no - shorter. I could sort of make out his shape when he moved, so I know he looked mostly like a person, besides the claws and weird legs." Yuzu said.

"A person? Did he show any signs of human level intelligence - did he try to talk to you?" Rukia asked. Yuzu shook her head.

"No he never talked to me, but he did sound a lot like an animal. He growled and screamed when he was fighting the creature that attacked me and he started purring when he healed me. Oh! That's the other thing, he licked me to heal me, and I know his tongue didn't feel human." Yuzu said. Isshin gagged and Karin rolled her eyes.

"It  _licked you?!_ " Isshin exclaimed. Yuzu sighed.

"Dad, he was healing me. I think he was also trying to make me feel better because when he first tried to get close to me I started crying. After that he crouched and let me feel his hands - that was when he started purring at me. I do remember that his skin felt kinda weird, kinda like he had lines in his skin or something - scars. But he was really nice to me and made sure I wasn't scared. He picked me up and hugged me and went everywhere I told him to even though he didn't really understand the things I told him." Yuzu said in a slightly pleading tone. Rukia appeared thoughtful as Kisuke thought she rightfully should be. It indeed sounded like the hollow had been friendly and -dare he say- kind to Yuzu, making itself less threatening to her by crouching, letting her feel it first, and purring to her.

"He does sound different, honey, but I still want you to be careful. We've already talked about this." Masaki said. Yuzu sighed.

"I know..." Yuzu said. Kisuke cleared his throat.

"Well, if we're quite done giving these girls 'the talk,' then I should be getting on with testing Yuzu." Kisuke said.

"Ah, right." Isshin said as he moved over for Kisuke to kneel in front of Yuzu. Taking out a couple of instruments, Kisuke began gently checking Yuzu over. He took several samples and swabs before standing up again. Masaki and Isshin both scooted in closer to hear the diagnosis.

"Well, that should be more than enough information. I can say now that the creature caused Yuzu no more harm than the physical wounds. It seems that when it dug its claws into Yuzu's forehead, it made a connection to her soul using a band of reishi. Through this connection it implanted some of its own reiatsu into Yuzu until she had enough amassed reiatsu to be able to see it. Oddly enough the foreign reiatsu does not appear to malignant and has already completely mixed with Yuzu's. This leads me to believe this creature wasn't aiming to infect her, but to grow her spiritual awareness to the point where consuming her would have an effect on the creature. For some reason it seems this creature needs a soul to be above a certain level of reiatsu to harvest it properly. I must say Yuzu is incredibly lucky that that hollow intervened..." Kisuke said.

He neglected from telling Isshin and Masaki that bringing a soul to spiritual awareness for better consumption was only part of why the reason the creature made her able to see it. It had wanted her to see it, to know that it had been hunting her and was going to eat her alive. The way Yuzu had described it chasing her and somehow calling out with her own voice made Kisuke realize that this creature wasn't just hunting to eat, it was hunting for fun. All signs pointed to it waiting for Yuzu to go into the woods so it could toy with her. It had likely been waiting in the trees watching her ever since Yuzu entered the park...

Masaki and Isshin both let out a sigh of relief that their daughter was fine, but Karin was pale. She hadn't really thought that that creature had intended on eating Yuzu. She thought that Yuzu was just scared and that's why she got the feeling it was going to eat her.

"Now that we know Yuzu has no strange infections or ailments, miss Inoue here can demonstrate her reason for being here." Kisuke said. Orihime stood up and bowed to Yuzu and her parents.

"I'll try my best to heal you, but I'm still a bit new to my powers, so I understand if you choose someone else to heal you." Orihime said. Isshin looked to Kisuke.

"Should we choose someone else...?" Isshin asked. He figured Kisuke would know better if Orihime really wasn't the best choice or was just being modest. Kisuke smiled behind his fan.

"That's up to you, though I will say that Orihime was able to heal her friends from the brink of death faster than any Kido master I've seen..." Kisuke said. As much as he wanted to see her powers at work, he wouldn't put Yuzu in danger. He trusted that Orihime would be able to safely heal her.

Nodding, Masaki held Yuzu's hand as Orihime knelt down to heal her. Closing her eyes, Orihime felt deep within herself to summon Shun Shun Rikka. After several minutes she found them and called out to them. Everyone watched in fascination as Orihime's hair clips began to glow, six tiny figures shooting out from them to hover around Orihime. Yuzu squinted to see them, so Orihime began describing each of them as they introduced themselves. While the introductions were going on, Kisuke's phone began to ring, so he stepped aside to where he could speak and still see Orihime's strange abilities.

"Yes?" Kisuke said.

"I found it Kisuke, and you're not going to believe this." Yoruichi said on the other end.

-x-

**Uryu Ishida - Gemishct Quincy Academy**

Uryu sighed as he tuned out his father. They had been at the academy for over an hour and still not dropped off the documents Mrs. Daan requested. Uryu had hoped that because of how late it was that there wouldn't be anyone to stop them, but the moment they had entered the school one of his mother's old schoolmates came running up to them. Uryu and his father had been forced to stop and talk as she rattled on and on about how things had been going at the academy and how happy Kanae would have been to see the school thriving like this. Uryu knew that she was saying such things to be polite and sympathetic, but her words only left a bitter taste in his mouth.

This academy was the last pace his mother had been seen alive, and yet when his father had tried to investigate the school, they had been denied by shinigami. Apparently they felt that such an investigation would draw too much attention to the supernatural world as they would have to go through the living to conduct it. What angered Uryu the most however, was what his father had had to say. He had followed their orders without question, hadn't even tried to use his connections with the Escht Quincies. Uryu had been absolutely stunned, but he had yet to learn what kind of man his father really was. No tears had been shed the day his mother's body had been found, no money used for a funeral, no words of grief or anything. Instead he had simply gone on with life, even becoming head doctor. All he had really cared about was his work.

"- Oh you're right, he has grown so much!" The woman said. Realizing she was talking about him, Uryu sighed. Now he actually had to pay attention...

"Yes, Uryu has grown considerably in his academics as well. He may yet prove himself learned enough to become a doctor." Ryuken said. Uryu gripped the paperwork he was holding harder. He would be "learned enough," but not to become a doctor.

"We'll see what I become." Uryu said curtly. Missing the silent animosity between father and son, the woman continued to speak.

"I must say I haven't had the chance to catch up like this in such a long time. What brings you to the Academy?" She asked. Uryu interrupted before his father had a chance to drag this conversation back into small talk.

"We're dropping off some paperwork for Mrs. Daan, but I'm not sure if she's still here..." Uryu said. Ryuken gave him a side-eyed glance. Uryu didn't care if his father thought it was rude to skip out on small talk, but he really wasn't up for another hour of idle pratter.

"Oh! I'm sorry, if I'd have known you were here for her I would have let you go much sooner. Mrs. Daan already left for the day, but I have keys to pretty much all the classes." The chatty woman said. Uryu opened his mouth to thank her, but this time Ryuken was the one to speak first.

"That's very kind of you, but I don't think Uryu needs my help to deliver her paperwork. Uryu, why don't you find Mrs. Daan's classroom while us adults continue catching up." Ryuken said. Uryu growled internally while the woman beamed. Taking the keys from her, Uryu left the two to their useless conversations.

_Room 102..._

Finally catching the room after several hallways, Uryu looked inside the darkened classroom and saw that Mrs. Daan was indeed no longer there. Unlocking the door, Uryu made his way around the desks to get to the teacher's desk. Plopping down the paperwork, Uryu turned to leave but tripped. Stumbling forward, Uryu caught himself on the desk. What in the world had he tripped on?

Reaching down to feel along the floor, Uryu felt something sharp and metal stuck in the carpet. Fumbling around with it for a few moments, Uryu finally grew tired of having to feel around in the dark and reached up to turn on the desk light. Caught in the carpet was a strange looking Quincy cross made of metal. The five points of the cross each had a small blood red orb embedded in the metal to join the thin metal connecting each one in a circle. Something about this cross seemed familiar to Uryu...

Shaking his head, Uryu untangled up the cross and tried to pull it from the floor only to find that it was attached to a thin rope hanging out of the bottom desk drawer. It must have fallen out when Mrs. Daan was getting something out and didn't notice. When Uryu tried to open the drawer, he found that it was locked. Jiggling it in frustration, Uryu fell back as he accidentally tripped the lock's inside tab with the bit of rope cracking it open. Growling, Uryu picked up the cross again and tried to shove it back into the drawer, but a dark green beanie was tangling the rope and making it impossible to close the drawer. Uryu leaned his head back and sighed exasperatedly. Today just wasn't his day.

Ripping the beanie out, Uryu was fully prepared to shove the infernal thing back into the drawer when something caught his eye. Holding the beanie up to the light, Uryu turned the beanie inside out. Was that... orange hair? Uryu's eyes widened as he saw that it was strands of short orange hair the exact color of Ichigo's. There was no way this wasn't Ichigo's. How in the world had this ended up in Mrs. Daan's desk?

Inspecting the beanie further, Uryu's breath caught when he saw blood splatters. Rotating it, he gasped when when he saw a rather large blood stain covering the inside to bloom on the outside. Quickly looking around, Uryu knelt down to look at the rest of the drawer. Rifling around, he didn't find anything all that strange until he came to a file at the very bottom. It was rather ordinary looking until he opened it up. Inside were pictures of various different people, some he knew as quincies and others he had only heard names of before. Uryu paused when he saw his own picture in the file, reading it to find mostly school records and personal testaments of his private training. At the very bottom it was labeled with an orange "possible" next to a green german symbol that read "neutral." Flipping to the next page, Uryu saw his father. His picture was labeled with an orange "rejected" along with the same "neutral." The next profile made Uryu's breath hitch.

It was his mother, Kanae Katagiri. Hers was a bit larger than his and his father's, but there were far more pictures of her. The first page had her normal school teacher picture with the same orange "rejected," but a large red mark caught his eye. Underneath he could just make out a german symbol meaning "active", but it was covered up by the red "EXECUTED."

Executed.

The word rang out in Uryu's head like an alarm, but his mind was working as if underwater. He knew what it meant by executed, but he refused to believe what he was seeing. Quincies were the just ones, quincies were the juries and judges, they looked out for each other, cared for each other,  _they were the holy soldiers of god_. But this was something undeniably disturbing. Looking at the other pages, Uryu's stomach turned when he saw that they were filled with pictures of his mother going about her life he'd never seen before. Kanae shopping, Kanae walking home, Kanae picking something up from the sidewalk. Someone had been watching his mother... Uryu was breathing shallowly as he looked around again and pulled out his phone. Quickly taking pictures of every page in the file from start to finish, Uryu paused when he saw the last ones. It was an extensive profile of Ichigo...

He was labeled both rejected and active, but now he saw a symbol he hadn't seen anywhere in the file before. A black "failed" covered up the side of his profile. Reading through it, Uryu felt more and more ill. It was a detailed account of Ichigo's medical records from the time he was born to last year, bloodwork, height, weight, nutrition levels, growth, dental records, everything. Massive chunks were missing in ages 8 to 11, but the chart picked up again after that. Alongside the usual hospital records and random check ups were personal notes. Reading through them, Uryu was shocked to find that they had actual records and instances of Ichigo being abused. All of it was written in a cold and critical way, only referring to incidents and injuries Ichigo had gained from physical abuse in relation to how it affected something called "Sonnenprinz," the sun prince.

They had known what Ichigo's mother was doing to him all along, but they had done nothing...

Flipping over to the next pages, Uryu saw that they were covered with unintelligible scribbling. He recognized the german and could easily translate it, but it didn't make any more sense like that. He felt like he was reading some sort of code.

Turning to the next, Uryu saw that it was Lena, Ichigo's mother. Hers was labeled both active and "expelled." What shocked Uryu the most was that Lena was a quincy, and an Echt at that. How in the world could Ichigo's mother be an Echt quincy and no one know about it? Uryu had never heard of the Godeberts before.

To his dismay, there were also records of non-quincies, like Masaki Kurosaki and former shinigami. Why were these here?

Having taken picture of the entire file, Ichigo's beanie, and the strange quincy cross, Uryu carefully put everything back exactly as he had seen it. As an afterthought, Uryu left the quincy cross as he had found it, hanging out the drawer and caught in the carpet tangled around the inner lock. That would make it look like whoever opened it next had been the one to break it, not him. Standing up, Uryu checked the rest of the drawers, but it was only the bottom one that had been locked. Making sure everything was in place, Uryu looked to the other file Mrs. Daan now had. He'd never taken the time to figure out what it was that Mrs. Daan had requested, but now he felt that he had no choice but to look through it.

Looking through the papers, Uryu was confused to see that it was an extensive history of the different quincy families. At the very end of the stack was a massive family tree that folded out like a map. Looking through the various families, Uryu recognized his own as well as almost every quincy he had ever met. One name caught his attention however, and that was Kurosaki. He knew the Kurosaki twins, knew their mother but had no idea that they were of quincy lineage... But there was Masaki Kurosaki. The entire Kurosaki line was deceased including for her. Looking at her extended family, Uryu saw that her father's sister had been erased. She had no last name or picture, but it was clear that she had been a Kurosaki. Married to her was a man from a similarly erased and deceased Echt Quincy family, and their child was none other than Lena Godebert...

So that made Lena Masaki's cousin, and Ichigo her nephew (first cousin once removed from a genealogy standpoint, but the common name was still nephew). Looking from Ichigo's family across to his own, Uryu also saw that that made Ichigo his cousin as well as Karin and Yuzu. Uryu blinked. He had learned so much more than he had ever expected to at this school, let alone in one day.

Why did Mrs. Daan and the people behind the files want this information? These papers had to be connected to the files considering so many of the people of interest in them were found in the files with equally unique documentation. Uryu was so engrossed in the family tree that he almost didn't hear the classroom door open.

"Found something interesting?" Came a deep feminine voice from behind Uryu. Uryu swallowed and schooled his panicked expression before turning to Mrs. Daan.

"Not particularly, I was just checking to make sure all the documents were here. As meticulous as my father's records are, no quincy family tree is ever truly complete." Uryu said. Mrs. Daan moved closer to Uryu who had to repress the urge to move back.

"Indeed, so many of our ranks have a tendency disappear..." Mrs. Daan said. Uryu tried his best not to stiffen.

"I suppose that would have been the case in older times, but I've rarely heard of quincy disappearing nowadays." Uryu said. Mrs. Daan nodded sagely.

"Yes, it's much harder for a quincy to go missing without a plausible explanation. I suppose it's a good thing us quincies keep such detailed accounts of our members." Mrs. Daan said. Uryu's stomach twisted.

Detailed documents indeed...

Mrs. Daan sighed. "Well, if that's all, then I suppose I should be getting back to work." Mrs. Daan said. Nodding, Uryu took the cue to leave.

"I hope those papers are useful for whatever genealogy project your students are doing." Uryu said as he left. Mrs. Daan smiled secretively to Uryu.

"You have no idea how useful..." She said. Uryu offered a small wave as he exited the classroom.

_Oh, but I do now..._

-x-

**Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez - Hueco Mundo**

Grimmjow sighed as he looked out over the city of Las Noches. Over the centuries Las Noches had expanded from the ancient ruins of a long defeated civilization to a thriving city full of arrancar. The trade-off of having so many arrancar under the Las Noches Imperio was that they actually had to develop some sort of civilization. And in any good civilization, the people had to be  _civilized_. They had to follow rules and regulations and all these restrictions Grimmjow found unbelievably boring. Don't get him wrong, the Las Noches Imperio had become a far larger and more powerful empire than the one Barragan had ever made and he never once regretted fighting his way up through the ranks to become one of Reina Harribel's Espada, but he was still far more wild than any of these other weaklings. Arrancar like Nel and Szayel could happily follow the rules and serve their benevolent queen, but Grimmjow itched to fight. He itched to kill.

Here in the civilized parts of Hueco Mundo, that was banned. You could still maim and gruesomely wound fellow arrancars, after all what kind of empire would this be if such violence wasn't present, but you couldn't kill. Artificial arrancar were hard to find, but natural arrancar were even harder to find. If arrancar were left to their own devices in a kill-or-be-killed world, their numbers would constantly suffer and the arrancar of Hueco Mundo would never be able to form any sort of empire or follow their part of the balance.

God, Grimmjow missed the days when the souls of hell actually tried to stage rebellions and would invade the different worlds. Then they would stage all-out glorious wars in a violent land that thrilled his inner savage. Murder and carnage reigned supreme in those times as Harribel led them into battle against the hordes of sinful bastards deemed even worse than them. But after a while, the arrancar had gotten stronger and finally grown in numbers. More and more hollows were unlocking the potential to become arrancar. It was almost pathetic watching the souls of hell try and fight them, they had just become too damn powerful. None of them stood a chance.

Sure, he could always let off steam torturing souls in hell or squashing rebellions like he was supposed to, but that wasn't any fun. He missed the thrill of battle, the feeling of fighting for your life while you tried to end your opponent's. He had tried many times to get Harribel to spar with him, but she only sparred with her resureccion, and he refused to join them. He wouldn't give up being an Espada for anything, he had earned this rank fair and square.

Grimmjow's communication device flared up, interrupting his thoughts.

" _Please_  tell me you have something you need me to go kill or fight!" Grimmjow exclaimed before the other could speak.

"No, but there is something I'd like for you to check up on..." Szayel said.

Grimmjow growled. Of course it was pinkie. Ever since he had found that hollow that had disappeared on him, Szayel wouldn't leave him alone about it. Apparently it wasn't one of his experiments, but he had wanted it to be so he put a hit out on it anyways. It didn't really matter to Grimmjow whether or not the thing was his, he just wanted a chance to fight it again. The most he had expected out of it was a quick but interesting fight before he killed it, but it had surprised him. Not only had it proved to be holding back a considerable amount, but it managed to escape from him with a technique he had never seen before. And Grimmjow never let his prey escape, ever.

"What the hell is it now? I thought executing those weaklings for the menos crime would have stopped anybody from misbehaving." Grimmjow said. The execution hadn't been nearly as exciting as he thought it would be.

"You would think, but I'm getting some strange readings from the Forest of Menos." Szayel said. Grimmjow groaned. He hated having to go down there, everybody was so weak. None of them ever put up a good fight.

"What kind of readings?" He asked.

"Readings strange enough that Harribel's ordering me to take care of it." Szayel said. Grimmjow perked up. Now he was interested. If it was an order from Harribel, that usually meant something serious was going on.

"Alright, I'll bite. Just what sort of things are going on down there?" Grimmjow asked.

"Droves of gillians are disappearing as well as massive amounts of adjuchas. Something down there is having an absolute feast, but we can't track any power changes that would show a hollow feeding on this level. Better yet, something is disrupting the reishi in a pattern similar but definitely different to a garganta. I need you to go down there and find whatever is doing this. If possible, capture it, but don't kill it. If it gives you enough trouble that you have to kill it if you continue fighting, leave. I need this one alive." Szayel said.

Okay, now this did sound interesting.

"Sounds like fun, though I can't promise just how intact it'll be when I bring it to ya..." Grimmjow said with a grin.

x

_Damn, Szayel wasn't kidding about the whole 'feasting' thing..._

Massive trails of blood and torn up hollow bits stained the floor of the Forest, trees knocked over in the wake of all the fights. The normally noisy Forest of Menos was eerily silent as Grimmjow surveyed the damage.

"Jesus..." Grimmjow muttered to himself.

It had barely taken any time at all to find what Szayel had been talking about, massive trails of carnage scarring the Forest almost everywhere you looked. Normally a hollow strong enough to do this much damage left the Forest of Menos to either fight against or join the Los Noches Imperio, but whatever was down here showed no intention of stopping. Grimmjow had been tracking the bloody trails for nearly an hour and still found no sign of the attacker. If it wasn't for how obvious this creature was being about it's kills, Grimmjow would have been able to find it by just going to wherever the strongest menos were, but it's obvious presence had driven menos and adjuchas to split up and flee as far apart from each other as they could. He was hoping he wouldn't have to do this, but it was looking more and more like his only option...

Grimmjow dropped his reiatsu like a hammer, blanketing the forest with his power and making him into a beacon that screamed "I'm here! Come fight me, fuckers!" If this wasn't a challenge, he didn't know what was.

It didn't take long before he felt something approaching, but not by it's reiatsu. Just like the hollow Grimmjow had met in the deserts, he couldn't sense any reiatsu coming from it, but his instincts told him to be ready. He sincerely hoped it was the same hollow just so he could really get a fight out of it this time.

Catching a flash of white and orange behind him, Grimmjow grinned. It looked like this would be a rematch after all.

"Little greedy with the menos down here, don't you think?" Grimmjow asked without turning around. He could hear the hollow breathing behind him, but he wanted to draw this fight out a little before he inevitably overpowered the other.

Silence.

"Not very talkative, huh?" Grimmjow said. He could feel the other slowly stalking around behind him, and he let him. Let him see just what kind of predator he was up against.

"Well, that's fine by me. I'd much rather just skip the chatter and get right to the good stuff!" Grimmjow exclaimed and put a meaningful hand on the hilt of Pantera as he turned.

Still no response came from his opponent as he stalked Grimmjow through the shadows, but Grimmjow's obvious threat drew him out to stand in front of Grimmjow. Grimmjow's grin twisted when he saw the hollow. He still bore the same spiky orange hair cascading down his back, but his mask had different markings. Twin black stripes ran down both empty eyes down to join the stripes coming from his shoulders into the hollow hole in the center of his chest. Massive horns reached out from his head to twist out in front of him, currently angled at Grimmjow's throat. His eyes were no longer the bright, intelligent gold he'd seen before, now they were empty pits of darkness like those he had seen in hollows who had long ago abandoned their humanity. Even the way it stood was different, less anxious and skittish. Now as it watched him, all he felt was cold power, a silent danger grating on his instincts from this eerie creature. The feeling of imminent danger was further strengthened by the blood soaking his tattered shihakusho pants and staining his parted jaws and arms to drip down their clawed tips.

As disturbing as he now generally looked, it wasn't these changes that set Grimmjow's stomach turning. It was the massive crack in his mask spanning from his ear across his brow to disappear over his forehead. Black ooze that reeked "toxic" dripped from the crack as well as it's eyes, mouth, and hollow hole. This hollow smelled deeply of sickness, and it made Grimmjow take a step backwards.

The hollow took a step forward.

"What the hell happened to you?" Grimmjow muttered as he unsheathed Pantera.

He wasn't so sure if he wanted to fight the hollow when it was like this, for all he knew he was contagious. Cocking its head slowly to the side, Grimmjow got the distinct feeling he was trying to decide if Grimmjow was worth eating... Not keen on being put on the menu, Grimmjow snarled and stuck up an aggressive stance. Mimicking Grimmjow, the hollow lowered it's head and set it's feet squarely to face him. Not one for waiting around, Grimmjow launched himself at the other with a growl.

As the other nimbly dodged his attacks, Grimmjow immediately noticed that he was faster than before. Whether or not that was because he was stronger or because he was no longer holding back was still up for debate. For the most part it was only Grimmjow attacking, but after a while the other began to attack in kind.

Dodging a swipe that would have no doubt cleaved lesser hollows apart, Grimmjow jumped back to get out of range. It was obvious now that this hollow wasn't any less intelligent than before, it was just... emotionless. This was clear in the way that it studied Grimmjow and began copying his attacks without any reaction. It was operating purely on instinct, but that was fine. Grimmjow himself played that side of the coin quite well.

Jumping back in, Grimmjow struck out even faster, slashing and stabbing with Pantera to force the other to tighten his defenses. Unfortunately the hollow's speed was growing, and he managed to slip between Grimmjow's attacks to swipe at his masked jaw. Narrowly avoiding injury with a sudden burst of sonido, Grimmjow pushed off against a tree to come flying at the hollow, a red cero growing in his palm. Screw bringing it back in one piece, Grimmjow was taking this thing down by any means. Serves it right for ruining his fight with the threat of disease...

Seeing the abominable bastard preparing to flash out of sight, Grimmjow changed his trajectory to intercept the hollow where he knew it was going to end up.

"Have a taste of this!" Grimmjow snarled and launched his cero point blank into the hollow's face.

Thrown back by the size of the explosion, Grimmjow kept Pantera up, just in case his cero hadn't quite finished him off. Just before the dust cleared, a massive roar shook the forest in rage. Grimmjow swore loudly and threw himself out of the way as a large red cero shot out at him.

_Yeah, "hadn't quite finished him off."..._

Now Grimmjow could get a read of the mystery hollow's reiatsu, and it was like nothing he had ever felt before. Dark and oppressive, it blanketed the area in an unshakable pressure that no doubt was crushing the weak adjuchas of the forest. Filled with rage and bloodlust, the pressure reminded him somewhat of Harribel's reiatsu when Barragan had nearly killed one of her Fraccion. Come to think of it, it did have the same feel as hers, but that was impossible. Harribel was unique to other hollows and arrancar in that she had reached a stage of evolution never before seen in hollows before becoming an adjuchas; Vasto Lorde. That was what she had called it, but she herself had no idea how she knew this. Everyone knew that after adjuchas, arrancar was the next natural stage of evolution. Harribel was the only exception, the only hollow who's path of evolution had differed.

And yet here he was fighting a hollow clearly not an arrancar with abilities and strength far beyond any adjuchas...

Dropping low to avoid a lightning-fast strike, Grimmjow charged another cero at the hollow from one side while jumping to the other to swing Pantera like a cleaver. Cero exploding and blade only cutting air, Grimmjow yowled in pain and surprise as he was grabbed by his hair from behind. Barely managing to rip his head away, Grimmjow felt claws graze his side as he hastily dodged. Now he was pissed.

Letting out an enraged cry, Grimmjow let loose three consecutive ceros before cutting off any means of escape. No one dragged him by his hair and lived to tell about it.

Grimmjow hissed in satisfaction when one of the ceros managed to catch the hollow's side, but no blood came. Howling in anger, the hollow flashed to Grimmjow to swipe, slash, and strike even faster than before. Impressively, Grimmjow's cero hadn't been enough to break the hollow's heirro, but it was more than enough to piss him off as much as Grimmjow.

Fighting in a flurry of blows, the hollow suddenly bent it's head down to twist Pantera away from him in his horns as he fired a cero at Grimmjow's stomach. Unable to block, the cero hit Grimmjow full on and blasted him back. Luckily Pantera came untangled from the hollow's horns in the blast and was still in Grimmjow's hand as he crashed to the ground, stomach bleeding profusely. Spitting blood, Grimmjow's eyes widened when he saw the massive red cero charging in the hollow's horns.

Ground cracking under the weight of the power being gathered up in the hollow's horns, Grimmjow didn't even have time to swear as the massive cero tore it's way through the forest obliterating trees and boulders in its wake. Desperation and rage fueled the Gran Rey Cero Grimmjow released moments before the other cero hit. Everything exploded in a magnificent display of violent power, red and bright blue reiatsu crashing against each other in a wild fight for dominance as the two fluctuated. Eventually Grimmjow's larger Gran Rey won out over the ordinary cero in a wash of blue, but so much energy had been spent stopping the other cero from hitting that by the time his reached the hollow, it was only slightly more powerful than a normal cero.

Blocking the cero with his bare hands, the hollow dug his heels into the ground as raw power blew his orange hair back. Finally the cero ran out, strands of blue reitsu rippling off the hollow's hands.

_Show off..._

Grimmjow growled, but refused to pant. He had far more fight left in him than this, it didn't matter how much power this guy had, he still had his resureccion. He wouldn't use it yet, but if things continued like this for too long, he might actually have to.

Growling long and low, the hollow suddenly did something strange.

Slowly standing up straight, the hollow set his shoulders back and put a hand to his chest like he was gripping something. Black ooze poured out of his hollow hole as he slowly began to pull his hand out. Grimmjow's eyes grew wider as he felt more and more power pouring out of the hollow, but his greatest shock came when he saw a sword handle wrapped in white bandages gripped in the hollow's hand. Clamping his other hand onto the sword hilt, the hollow's entire chest became jet black now as black liquid continued to spill from his hollow hole to coat his skin.

Impressive power quickly turned sickly as the hollow's shoulders began to shake spasmodically. Something wasn't right, and Grimmjow had a feeling it had to do with the black substance he was now choking on. Coughing up inky gobs, the hollow began to pant, but refused to release its grip of the sword. His hands were shaking now, and he was swaying, but Grimmjow didn't dare to move. Something told him to stay put and see this to its end.

Chest heaving, the hollow began to keen deeply as his body started violently jerking. Stiff stance dropping to an unsteady crouch, the hollow looked ready to collapse, but still he fought to release the sword from his body. Howling and screaming, suddenly he began to throw himself about as if locked in some sort of unseen battle. Grimmjow could feel his turmoil in the shift of his powerful reiatsu as two decidedly different signatures of the same reiatsu raged to find purchase over the other. Doubling over so far Grimmjow thought he was going to fall, the hollow began a howl that slowly built itself up to a deafening crescendo. At the peak of his cry, the hollow finally released the sword from his chest with a sickening squelch.

The hollow fell forward to his knees and propped himself up with his blade, a massive black sword like a khyber knife with a small cutout. Shakily raising his head up, once again gold eyes locked with Grimmjow's. Frozen in place, Grimmjow felt the hollow's reiatsu slowly drawing back into itself. While undoubtedly the same reiatsu, what Grimmjow was now feeling wasn't nearly as dark or oppressive as before. Something had happened, but he didn't know what.

"Well, that was one hell of a surprise, got anything else you wanna show me?" Grimmjow asked, carefully watching the hollow for a response. Something told him he was more likely to get a reaction from him now than before.

The hollow flinched at his voice, but neglected to answer. Instead he dragged himself up to stand, warily watching Grimmjow as he continued to pant. The two watched each other for a tense heartbeat before the hollow raised it's blade putting Grimmjow immediately on guard. But it didn't look like he was going to attack...

"Oh no you don't!" Grimmjow yelled as he scrambled to get to the hollow before he could open a garganta with his sword. Black void opening up, Grimmjow shot his hand out to try and grab the hollow, but his fist closed around air as the hollow narrowly escaped into the garganta. His only link to the mysterious hollow was gone in seconds.

"Dammit!" Grimmjow swore. This was the _second_  time that bastard had managed to escape from him, and this time it looked like he was going to get an actual challenge. Grimmjow was even still bruised and bleeding from their brief encounter! He hadn't even had the time to enjoy his battle because of that stupid crack and ooze! Grimmjow resolved to ignore those things the next time he fought this hollow, and demons below, he would fight him again...

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! A fight with Grimmjow! That's pretty much all I'm going to say, I'm done writing out questions to get you guys to ponder things. Y'all can find the mysteries on your own, I'm beat.


	8. Chapter 7: Believe You Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I found something I want to try on AO3 with pictures, so if you wanna see some art of this story it's (hopefully) your lucky day. It should work fine, but at the same time I tried to update a chapter title and accidentally DELETED MY ENTIRE PROLOGUE, fixed it, then proceeded to realize in doing so I accidentally switched chapter 6 and 5. It was a wild time and I had a heccing heart attack, but the point is I'm not good at this I'm trying my best. If it doesn't work I'll just, cry?
> 
> Sorry for this chapter being a little late, every time I think my projects are done and I actually have time to do stuff, something new comes up. At this point I'm just existing at 90% panic, but that's not exactly saying much... Anyways, thank you all so much for your feedback!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Speech/Thoughts_

**_Shiro (Zangetsu)_ **

**Old Man/Ossan (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 7: Believe You Me**

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert - 4 years old**

_Ichigo's eyes flew open. He was surrounded by darkness on all sides, emptiness washing over him as he gazed out into the void. The normal panic that always ensued when he found himself in this place began to well up inside him alongside his just as usual despair. After about a year of having to deal with this place, Ichigo had taken to calling it "the Empty," but coming up with a name for it didn't make him feel any better about being here every time he fell asleep._

_Sobbing in the darkness, Ichigo tried to move his tiny hands to his face, but his whole body was stiff. Oh how he wished his mommy was here, she would pull him right out. It didn't matter that she would yell and scream at him later, she would at least pull him out. Nothing stopped his mommy, not even the neighbor's mean old dog would mess with her._

_Shaking with fear, Ichigo closed his eyes and began to count the seconds. That was the only way he could tell if he was going to stay stuck in the Empty or make it to the Other Place every night, so he counted through the minutes until he reached the mark. It was always around five or six minutes that he would stay here before plunging into the Other Place. Any longer meant that he'd be spending this night stuck in the Empty, and he honestly didn't know which was worse._

_3 minutes..._

_4 minutes..._

_5 minutes..._

_Ichigo's breathing became heavier as he drew closer to the tipping point, would he be trapped here, or in the nightmare world?_

_5 1/2 minutes..._

_Ichigo felt his stomach twisting, unbelievably anxious. Waiting like this was absolute torture, and it wound him up so much he felt like he was going to hyperventilate or pass out (which he'd done many times before)._

_6 minutes..._

_So it looked like he was -_

_Ichigo screamed as light burst around him in a crescendo of sound and suddenly he was falling through nothing into everything. Blinded by light and deafened by sound, Ichigo felt his shaggy hair whipping wildly around him as he continued to plunge towards land only to stop so abruptly he felt his stomach climb into his throat. Gagging and straining all his muscles, Ichigo writhed in pain and confusion for a few moments before he finally began to realize where he was. Brittle grass long dead scratched at his arms and face as he desperately tried to suck air into his battered lungs. He was lying face down in a rather barren yard surrounded by ramshackle huts, grey sky slowly being lit up with burnt orange as the sun began to rise. Sunsets and sunrises seemed to be the only thing to bring color to this barren grey-scale world. Well, that and blood._

_Sobbing loudly, Ichigo began to retch, emptying his tiny body of the terrible emptiness he still felt crawling over his skin. Apparently his miserable sobbing and vomiting had drawn the attention of this particular house's occupant as Ichigo dully heard steps behind him._

_"Ichigo?" A sharp voice asked from behind him. Too busy vomiting to answer, Ichigo didn't bother moving from his position._

_Hands rough with callouses wrapped around Ichigo to pull him into a better position, awkwardly patting his back in an attempt at comfort. Unfortunately Ichigo wasn't used to such gestures, so he flinched and began vomiting harder (if such a thing was possible). Taking the hint, the hands removed themselves from around him to lean him on his side against a dead tree. Eventually his vomiting turned to weak coughing as his body readjusted itself and he could open his watery eyes again to look at the man kneeling in front of him._

_"No food again?" Mari asked. Ichigo looked down at the mess he had made in confusion. Mari was right of course, but he didn't know how._

_"You've been vomiting bile and stomach juice, not actual food..." Mari explained absently._

_Pushing himself up with trembling arms, Ichigo took a closer look at Mari. He'd gotten pretty good at figuring out what type of mood Mari was in, but Mari's ratty black hair was hanging in front of his face in long strands having escaped from the messy bun he always kept his hair in. If Ichigo couldn't see his eyes, he wouldn't know if he was breaking or just spacey, so Ichigo kept his guard up as he wiped his mouth with the already stained sleeves of his yukata._

_"H-how long was I gone?" Ichigo whispered. Just like his mommy, Mari didn't like it when he was too loud, so Ichigo always made sure to be quiet. He didn't want to see Scary Mari again._

_"Four days, but it's better than the time you were gone for nearly a month." Mari said as he coughed weakly, pushing his lanky strands of hair away from his face._

_Ichigo relaxed a little when he saw his eyes. He wasn't breaking, he was just spacey. As for being gone for four days, that wasn't all that surprising for Ichigo. Some nights he just couldn't sleep, others he would get stuck in the Empty, and the rest was thanks to time working different here. Mari had tried to explain it to him before, but all the stuff about reality and the dangai was just too complicated for him. He had just accepted that things were different here, it was easier if he did things like that. Everything was confusing and different here, but he didn't understand most things at home either, so he decided he was just stupid. His mommy had told him plenty of times that that was about right._

_"But your sword left with you this time." Mari said. Ichigo just looked at him blankly. Was that supposed to mean something? Mari sighed. He often became frustrated when Ichigo had trouble understanding these honestly basic concepts everyone here knew._

_"It means your sword is no longer just a sword to you, it's become your Zanpakuto." Mari said._

_"Oh." Ichigo whispered with wide eyes. Mari had been telling him ever since they'd met that Ichigo was destined to wield a zanpakuto, and when his blade finally became his own they could begin the next stage of his training._

_"Does, does that mean you can tell me everything...?" Ichigo hesitantly asked. He flinched when he saw Mari's eyes harden suddenly._

_"What do you think?" Mari snapped with a rumbling cough. His cough had a tendency to get worse when he was angry._

_Ichigo's heart raced on instinct. He shouldn't have asked that, he knew better than to ask Mari to tell him about what was happening in this world. The one thing Mari had said about the issue was that Ichigo couldn't know anything about his past life, his secret mission, and what had happened to make the three worlds like this because if he knew, there was a chance the Gottlich could find out through him. That left Ichigo to try and piece together what had happened through what Mari and the others of this world said or did. The most he got was that there was a very bad quincy who had done something to begin killing the three worlds, his past life had done something to change this in some way (but died in the process), and it was up to him to finish what his past life had started. Mari would tell him once they reached the_ _San Teikoku_ _Alliance headquarters in Hueco Mundo, but until then he would train Ichigo to wield his zanpakuto._

_"I'll start meditating..." Ichigo said as Mari glared at him. Trying to ignore the holes Mari was boring into him with his eyes, Ichigo put his back against the tree and crossed his legs. Carefully pulling out his sword - "asauchi" Mari had told him - Ichigo set it down on his lap across his knees and closed his eyes._

_As Ichigo steadied his breathing and tuned out his surroundings, he felt himself slowly entering a state of calm. The normal eerie silence of the Soul Society broken by Mari's occasional coughing and spitting began to fade to a much more comfortable quiet, one that Ichigo had taken nearly a year to reach. He had just turned four when he had his first nightmare and ended up in the Soul Society, but he didn't end up meeting Mari until several months later. Since then he'd been training and learning to meditate so he could try and enter jinzen, but he wasn't very good at it. Now he was almost five and far closer to reaching jinzen than before despite how anxious and generally troubled he was. It had been an enormous struggle to calm himself down enough to meditate, let alone focus at first due to both his age and temperament. It was just so easy to scare him, everything made him jump or cry. He was such a crybaby..._

_Feeling himself slowly slipping away, Ichigo focused on that feeling of inner calm just like Mari had told him to. He had no idea what his soul felt like, but he knew he was supposed to find it, so he began to search for it deeper and deeper within himself. He could feel something just on the edge of his consciousness if he focused hard enough, but every time he reached out to it he lost it. Scrunching his eyebrows in frustration, Ichigo continued to try and make the connection but with little success. He continued on like this for what felt like eternity until he was suddenly shaken out of his meditation._

_"What's wr- mmmf!" Ichigo's question was quickly smothered by Mari's hand clamping over his mouth._

_Mari's eyes were wide open as he crouched over Ichigo, stock still. Ichigo himself was now frozen as Mari silently searched with his eyes around the huts, heartbeat pounding in his ears. Tense silence was broken only by the sound of Mari's labored breathing and Ichigo's own muffled breath, but it wasn't long before Ichigo heard a slight shuffle. Both hands immediately went to sword hilts, but neither moved. This part of the Rukongai should have been empty, but here in the Soul Society, danger was everywhere..._

_Another shuffle closer this time caused the two to quickly turn their heads in the direction of the sound. It couldn't be a_ _Nejireta because of the traps they'd set, but that didn't make the threat any less. Anything could be stalking them right now._

_Giving Ichigo a meaningful look, Mari slowly took his hand off of Ichigo's mouth to motion at their hut. Ichigo was still too young to have developed fighter's intuition so he didn't know that fighting in a closed area was bad, but he did know that they still had valuable supplies inside the hut, so he followed Mari without question. Silently stalking across the yard to get to the hut, Ichigo was glad that he had learned to be so sneaky from living with his mommy. Unfortunately, Mari didn't have the benefit of living somewhere with non-semi toxic air and had to stifle his coughing the entire way. Ichigo always felt bad for Mari when he heard him coughing._

_Once they were inside the rickety hut, Ichigo and Mari immediately began gathering as much of their stuff as they could without making noise. Mari didn't even need to tell Ichigo to cover his bright hair with his dirty shawl. This wasn't the first time he and Mari had had to make such a hasty getaway, so Ichigo already knew exactly where everything was and needed to go for them to leave. Luckily they didn't have that much with them since most of Soul Society had so little to offer and the rest was already looted or too dangerous to loot._

_Nodding to Mari when he was finished, Ichigo tried his best to steady his breathing and stop himself from panicking._

_Ichigo knew Mari saw the look he was giving, but he didn't pause from packing, nor did Ichigo expect him to. Mari had made it very clear a long time ago that he would not make time for Ichigo's panic, especially when they were fighting. That made Ichigo's first few weeks of training particularly brutal as his first reaction was almost always panic. Mari would teach him a set of moves and stances, let him practice, and then spar with him over and over again without break until Ichigo could replicate the moves perfectly. Any time Ichigo tried to pause or started freaking out, Mari would injure him and force him to keep fighting. The first week Ichigo was getting so many injuries that he was on the brink of death within half an hour, which wasn't very conducive and to training. Mari's solution was to pin Ichigo down every time he was about to pass out and heal him with kido just enough for him to keep fighting before immediately resuming training. Much of that time was passed in a terrifying blur of pain and exhaustion, but miraculously Ichigo began to improve. It wasn't anywhere near enough to stop Mari from wounding him, but it was enough to slowly stretch the time before Mari could land his first hit each session in the following week. After a while, the horror of constantly being attacked and wounded every day by his vastly stronger companion began to lessen as Ichigo grew used to the fighting. It felt kind of weird at first, watching Mari bear down on him with a sword knowing that he was going to hurt him only for his own blade to suddenly shoot up and block him. Mari had told him after one training session when Ichigo had confided his feelings that this was called_ instinct _, and Ichigo was using it more than Mari had anticipated. That was the closest Mari had ever come to not insulting Ichigo, so Ichigo couldn't help but feel a little proud of that. Ichigo began relying on that more, using his fear to force himself to improve._

_As the weeks passed, Ichigo froze and ran away (or at least tried to) less and less and actually managed to start using some of the moves Mari was teaching him instead of hoping his instinct was enough to help him block and dodge everything. Every time Mari taught him a new move, Ichigo would fail so spectacularly at it that Mari would declare him hopeless and swear at him, but then he'd suddenly get it one day, faster and better at it than Mari had predicted in the first place. Those were the times Ichigo would look to Mari hoping to see something there, of what he wasn't sure of. All he knew was when Mari would just huff and say how terrible his technique was, his heart would sink. But it wasn't that far off, was it? He was clumsy and slow, weak and stupid. No talent whatsoever. It began to be that when Ichigo finally nailed a move or lasted longer when they sparred, he only felt... disappointed. He felt bad when he was doing better, so was he even really doing that well? Mari seemed to think the opposite, and it wasn't like Ichigo ever really excelled at anything... or passed..._

_Maybe it was because he was training to be able to kill? He knew enough to understand that killing was bad and should feel bad, so maybe that's what this was? He did seriously struggle with fighting outside of sparring at first... Mari had been beyond angry when Ichigo had first tried to refuse to kill anyone after he'd accidentally beheaded a man during his first battle, slapping him across the face and yelling at him until Ichigo broke down and cried. Mari hated that, his crying. He said it was childish and would only distract him in battle. But his harsh punishments weren't enough to stop Ichigo from sobbing and vomiting after each battle. Oddly enough, he had stopped doing that as much, though for what reason he didn't know. Instead of getting upset, Ichigo would suddenly get hit with an overwhelming sense of flatness, like a lack of emotion. Kind of... numb. Nothing felt real then, like some kind of switch had flipped in Ichigo._

_It was starting to happen at school sometimes, making his voice catch in his throat no matter how many times his teachers told him to speak. They were asking him to do that more now, to explain why he was fighting with other students and why he was so angry. But Ichigo just couldn't seem to tell them that he wasn't angry, he just couldn't stop himself from lashing out when his classmates started bothering him. All it took was one kid to try and pull his hair or even get too close to him and his fighting instincts would take over. Once he would realize what he'd done, he'd immediately start crying and run away. Worse yet were the consequences at home with his mommy..._

_Ichigo jumped slightly when he felt Mari pinch him. Ichigo silently shook his head. He was doing that more and more, spacing out and losing focus. His teachers absolutely hated it, but Mari hated it more._

_Checking no one was blocking the back door, Ichigo and Mari quickly stole away from the hut to get as far away from their stalkers as they possibly could. But the silence was too thick that day, and as any whole thing in that world existed, it was bound to be broken._

_"Why the hurry little one?" Came a husky whisper from the shadows just behind Ichigo._

_Ichigo screamed to alert Mari to the sudden attacker and barely managed to grab Mari's hand before the other took off as fast as his legs could carry him. Screaming and whooping broke out on all sides as a torrent of vicious rogues gave chase. Too late Mari realized they had stumbled into a carefully laid out trap just by coming to this abandoned city._

_"SKINNERS!" Mari screeched to Ichigo. If Ichigo wasn't terrified before, he was now._

_Panting wildly, Ichigo looked around in terror as naked men and women painted in blood cackled their delight at the gruesome game they were playing. Barely avoiding a swipe from a man with practically black teeth, Ichigo hopped over rubble and stones in their wild flight to try and escape the growing ring of monsters._

_"Door!" Mari yelled as they fled. Wildly raking his eyes over everything, Ichigo saw the lone wood door standing in a clearing and immediately understood. To escape being surrounded they would need to make it to that clearing, the only place where they had a straight shot of getting out of the district while avoiding Nejiretas._

_Pumping his tiny legs as fast as they would allow, Ichigo could feel the inhuman hunters breathing down their necks. But they were so close, he could see the clearing getting closer and closer as they fled. Eyes glued to their one ray of hope, Ichigo didn't even bother to slash at the hands grasping at him like Mari did, they were going too fast for the skinners to catch them. They were just too fast, they were racing, soaring, flying out of there in a blur never to be seen by those monsters again. Adrenaline raced through his veins as the door was inches away, freedom a breath away. They were going to make it just by the skin of their teeth, by the bite of their heels, the snap of th -_

_"AAAAAGH-uh!" Mari screamed as a sick crunching sound rang out._

_"MARI!" Ichigo screamed as Mari's hand was torn from his._

_Blood and bone decorated Mari's chest in a macabre pattern where one of the skinners had clotheslined him with a bone and scrap club typical to skinner weapons. Ichigo could only watch helplessly as the skinner pulling Mari away shoved him into the waiting group of skinners behind him. Dodging the same man with the club, Ichigo struggled to get to Mari, slashing and stabbing his way through the converging skinners. He tried to use his lack of size to his advantage like Mari had taught him, but he just didn't have the benefit of years of fighting experience like Mari. Hands clawed and tore at Ichigo as more and more skinners fell on him, catching chunks of his flesh and clumps of his hair._

_"MARI!" Ichigo screamed again. He was quickly being overwhelmed by the skinners and was bleeding profusely from the various different injuries they were inflicting. If he didn't escape the group soon, he would either be crushed or beaten to death._

_"RUN! JUST RUN!" Mari screamed back. Ichigo couldn't see him through the writhing horde of bodies, but he could hear the screams of agony as Mari tore his way through the skinners._

_Cleaving the arm off a howling woman, Ichigo switched tactics and made for the rapidly closing opening at his side. Dirty shawl was ripped from his head as a skinner tried to drag him down by his hair, but Ichigo twisted his head and whirled around to slash at the skinners behind him. Barely dodging a swipe, Ichigo lashed out and stabbed a man in the chest before jumping away from another trying to grab his ankle._

_Whirling around in a desperate dance, Ichigo blocked, dodged, and fought for his life as skinners began overwhelming him again. Hands were ripping and tearing at Ichigo faster than he could cut hem, and it was only a matter of time before one of the skinners got close enough to grab Ichigo._

_Screaming in fear, Ichigo was dragged down under the writhing mass of bodies suffocating him. Something broke under the weight of bodies suffocating him, but Ichigo couldn't tell one injury from another. They all hurt and scared him, and he didn't know what to do. A man's hand with ragged bloody nails caught him in the side of the face as another bit his leg and he screamed again, tears cutting trails down the blood covering his face._

_Ichigo's mind was desperately trying to think of how to fight back like a true shinigami, but he just wasn't. He was a little boy, and it didn't matter how good with a sword he had become. He was being beaten, scratched, and bit from all sides when a blade erupted from a skinner's stomach inches away from his face. Screeching in agony, more skinners were cut down around Ichigo as Mari finally made it to him._

_"Get Up!" Mari bellowed as he beheaded a charging woman._

_Ichigo struggled to follow Mari's orders, gripping his sword so tight his knuckles turned white for fear of losing grip from all the blood. Sliding on his knees between the legs of a larger man, Ichigo cut the back of his heels before plunging his sword up into the man's abdomen as he doubled over in pain. Ichigo just made it to Mari when he suddenly pushed Ichigo down to the ground._

_"Writhe,_ _Shapubara_ _!" Mari called as he released his shikai. Sword glowing a menacing dusty pink, power erupted around Mari in an explosion Ichigo just managed to avoid by clinging to Mari's leg._

_In place of a blade, Mari now held a long whip covered in thorns like barbed daggers. Ichigo had seen Mari's shikai enough times to know that he needed to stay as low as possible. Snapping Shapubara up to wildy lash out at the surrounding skinners, Mari whirled his weapon around in a deadly circle of barbed death, ripping and tearing into skinners indiscriminately as every other thorn remained buried in flesh. Mari forced the skinners to make a large clearing around the two as they fled unhindered by skinners pressing in on them, but there was still the problem of the skinners who did carry weapons._

_Ducking another of Shapubara's coils, Ichigo cried out when he saw a skinner preparing to launch a spear at Mari, but his warning came too late. Mari was forced to use Shapubara to block the spear by wrapping around it and changing it's direction with a yank, but that left a massive opening. Faster than Ichigo could track, skinners swarmed them, no longer held back by Shapubara. The first thing they did was try to rip Shapubara from Mari's hands, but Mari refused to let go. Ichigo tried to help him by slashing at the skinners trying to grab Shapubara, but he was too busy trying to fend off the skinners trying to grab his own weapon._

_One managed to dart through his defenses to grab him by his yukata and drag him forward._

_"Mari!" Ichigo screamed._

_The skinner that managed to get behind Ichigo was swiftly dispatched as Mari yanked Ichigo back to him just in time, but in Mari's distraction, a madly grinning skinner impaled him with a screech. Falling to the ground, Mari knew this was it. The two of them couldn't make it out of here. But one of them could._

_"Ichigo, Run!" Mari yelled as Ichigo desperately tried to stop the skinners from getting to Mari._

_"But -" Ichigo's protests were interrupted when Mari shoved him away. Skinners immediately filled the gap, forcing Ichigo further away from Mari._

_"I'll be right behind you, just RUN!" Mari screamed. He knew Ichigo wouldn't leave him unless he lied, foolish brat. Didn't he understand yet that his duties were more important than Mari or even himself?_

_Nodding furiously despite Mari not being able to see him, Ichigo did as told and stopped trying to fight back through the skinners. Dodging under a man's swing, Ichigo cleaved his way through the skinners until he finally had enough room to slip by the larger adults without having to cut everyone he saw. Under legs and through slim gaps Ichigo shot, a tiny blur of orange in a sea of bloody adults. Not even skinners could last forever, and eventually he broke away from the bloodthirsty maniacs to run just ahead of the trailing hunters._

_Too terrified to risk looking back, Ichigo didn't see that Mari was still far behind him fighting the original group of skinners as the second group broke off to chase Ichigo. Injuries and fear be damned, Ichigo was fast when he needed to be. Not even seconds were lost as he leapt over the rubble surrounding the lone door. He had finally made it past the marker, and now all he had to do was make it through the tree line and lose them in the forest with Mari. He could see a couple of places where he could safely make it into the forest, but his best options were through the creek by the little burrow under an oak Ichigo had spotted when the first came to this part of the district. Even if Ichigo couldn't swim, it was better than_ _going through the natural tree line where all the Nejireta traps were..._

_"Creek!" Ichigo called, but Mari wasn't behind him to hear his directions. Nonetheless Ichigo ran as fast as he could to the creek. Inches away from release, Ichigo barely managed to see what was wrong in time._

_Rotting animal corpses surrounded the creek bank in a gruesome warning punctuated by the lack of flies. As Ichigo had painfully learned his first time in the soul society, water was extremely dangerous and often killed. Half of it was either poisoned by corpses and toxins while the rest was completely acidic. Everything in this world was dying or already dead, but Ichigo didn't plan on following that rule._

_Heart dropping, Ichigo forced himself to turn back towards the burrow and find another way around before the skinners bearing down on him caught up. But when he began running beside the tree line, he finally saw what was happening behind him._

_Skinners were still tearing Mari apart, but the rest were now converging on Ichigo with no signs of giving up. Worse yet, Mari was leagues away from Ichigo. He had lied so that Ichigo could get away, but now it was for nothing. There were far more skinners than Ichigo had expected to be behind him, and now they were cutting him off. He would never make it to another entrance, but Ichigo wasn't without ideas. If he could just hide in the burrow until night, he could go to sleep and return home. Pumping his legs harder, Ichigo desperately hoped he was fast enough to get to the burrow before the skinners blocked him, but his chances were looking slimmer with every passing second._

_Heart pounding in his ears, Ichigo's vision began to blur with tears again. He could see the manic grin growing on the panting skinner as he drew closer to the tree line, buddies not far behind. He could practically feel the malicious glee oozing from the skinner as he threw his arms out wide, waiting for Ichigo to come. Their eyes locked and Ichigo swore he could feel death, but as he was watching, one of Shapubara's thorns lodged in the skinner's cheek began to glow menacingly._

_"Korosu, Shapubara!" Ichigo heard Mari scream in the distance._

_Suddenly the skinner in front of Ichigo exploded in a mass of dusty pink energy. Thrown forcefully back, Ichigo could hear explosions rocking the clearing as Mari released his special attack. Any skinner still carrying one of Shapubara's thorns was instantly blown up, leaving nearly half the original skinners alive to rage at their prey. This was just enough distraction to give Ichigo another head start._

_"Go! LEAVE!" Mari screamed before one of the remaining skinners dragged him down._

_Scrambling to get back onto his feet with a sob, Ichigo sprinted for the burrow. Tripping on roots, Ichigo slid down headfirst into the burrow pushing dirt and scraggly roots out of his way. Halfway through he felt a hand grab his ankle and screamed as he was slowly dragged backwards. Clinging to roots and clawing at the ground, Ichigo screamed again and again, refusing to let loosen his hold and be taken. Finally he felt the grip on his ankle lessening and shot deeper into the burrow. He was almost to the bottom when he suddenly realized how silent it was. Not even a shuffle was heard behind him._

_Shifting around in the narrow hidey-hole, Ichigo listened. The only thing he could hear was his own labored breathing and the shifting of dirt around him from where he had clawed. Waiting for a few more heartbeats, Ichigo debated peaking his head out to see if the skinners had given up, but his instincts told him they were still there._

_What if it was a trap, what if they had left a couple of skinners to kill him when he left the burrow? If they underestimated him and only left a couple behind, then he could probably escape... But he needed to know how many._

_Taking a deep breath to try and slow his heart and panting, Ichigo closed his eyes. Shifting in the cramped space to cross his legs in a mock jinzen, Ichigo forced himself to breathe in and out, in and out, in and out. He needed to be completely relaxed, so he waited while his breathing slowed down and his body began to relax. It was hard to calm himself giving the current situation, but if this was what he needed to do to survive, he would. While Ichigo could mostly sense where people were on instinct, he had been training for nearly a year and still couldn't sense other people's reiatsu. But today he prayed the levity of the situation would help him break through and get a read on how many skinners were outside._

_Sinking into a comfortable darkness, all noise began to fade away from Ichigo. For a moment he couldn't feel anything but the sense of him, but eventually he began to feel something else. Just like when he tried to reach true jinzen and communicate with his zanpakuto, Ichigo could only reach out so far. He just couldn't quite get what he knew was the people around him, but it wasn't the only feeling. There was something else in the darkness, and as he turned to it, he realized this feeling tickling at his senses was more... natural. It felt used, practiced. The more he felt for it, the stronger it became as well as easier to grasp. He didn't know exactly what it was, but it felt right. It felt like this was what he needed, so he grabbed hold and slowly pulled._

_Opening his eyes, Ichigo jolted when he saw thousands of ghostly ribbons floating around him. One such ribbon was already in his tiny fist, lazily twirling around in a playful dance. This ribbon wasn't like the other ribbons in that it wasn't just one color. Other ribbons were white, red, black, and a light blue. The one he was holding was black with a deep red trim, light blue and white threads twisted in an almost diamond pattern down it's length. Feeling the ribbon between his fingers, Ichigo let out an unconscious breath. Somehow he knew that this ribbon was his. Oddly enough, each color gave him a different feeling when he inspected the threads._

_The red felt comfortable and sturdy, somewhat similar to how Mari felt. It made this horrible afterlife he was stuck in feel more like... home._

_In contrast, the black felt sharp and ferocious. It gave him a sense of power, dark and foreboding._ _Letting go with a shiver, Ichigo focused on the light blue and white threads._

_They felt somewhat similar to each other, but the light blue was distinctively stronger than the other. It somehow felt pure and left Ichigo with a strange feeling he didn't recognize. Was it... dignity? Pride? Ichigo wouldn't know, his life had never afforded him such things. Other than those feelings, something about the light blue felt more like this world, but it wasn't a homey feeling like the red had provided. It was cagey and tense, like how he felt whenever he was suddenly pulled into the Soul Society. Like he was tangled in a fisher's net, slowly being reeled in._

_The white threads felt much more plain than the other colors, but they were nonetheless unique. These threads felt a sort of familiar in a common way. They also felt much more lively, like he was breathing in life. Searching deeper, he realized the white thread felt so much like the light blue because there was the same feeling of entrapment, but this was more like... restraint. It reminded him of the tight pressure he felt in his chest when he got scared at home. Here when that happened mari would glare at him and tell him to "reel it in," whatever that meant._

_Mari..._

_Now that Ichigo had the means to sense others, his thoughts turned to Mari. Could he find him like this, and did he really want to? What would happen if his ribbon was no longer there, was it better then to not look and maintain the tiny hope that Mari had escaped?_

_No, he had to know. Mari had been the first person to show Ichigo real kindness in a long time, and Ichigo considered him his friend. Mari had saved his life and taken on the arduous task of training him, pushing and pushing him until he finally made progress. Even when Ichigo was exhausted, beaten, and crying Mari would make him keep going until Ichigo did what he wanted perfectly. Even his punishments, if scary and painful, were never without reason. Ichigo could just never get it exactly the way Mari wanted his first time. He only ever screamed at Ichigo when he did something wrong or upset him - more than his mother had ever done. He made sure Ichigo never rested, always training and learning until Ichigo broke down, and then they'd train some more. That was just how someone as miserably unskilled and stupid as Ichigo could learn, right? Ichigo was unbelievably grateful that Mari had only tried to abandon him once, and he felt that Mari should have. Ichigo was a failure, he couldn't do anything right. All he did was cry and complain, he had no right to learn so much from such a great instructor like Mari._

_Ichigo had never had a friend before, but he was pretty sure that was what Mari was from the way he treated him. He was so much nicer than the kids at school._

_Looking around at all the ribbons, Ichigo realized he didn't know which one was Mari's. Ichigo had no idea what the different ribbons meant, but he tried to look at this from a logical standpoint. If the majority of ribbons around him were white, that probably meant that the white ribbons were skinners. Even though skinners were psychotic cannibals, they were still regular souls, so that meant white was ordinary. The red he'd felt in his own ribbon reminded him of Mari, so maybe Mari's ribbon was red?_

_Feeling around the ribbons, Ichigo closed his eyes and focused on Mari. Eventually he felt something brush up against his hand and opened his eyes to see a crimson ribbon floating in front of his face. The fact that it's color was fading and the ribbon itself was in tatters didn't escape Ichigo's notice, but it least it was still there. Relief washed into Ichigo and he hugged the ribbon to himself. Mari was alive, even if wounded._

_The only mystery now was the mass of white ribbons surrounding Mari's. If Mari was still alive, then why were there still skinners around him? Skinners never let their victims live..._

_Pushing the ribbons away from him to fade away, Ichigo shifted and crawled forward a little. So long as he was careful, he might be able to get a small peak outside and see what was going on. Finding that it was harder going out than in, Ichigo took his time crawling over roots and pausing every now and again. During one of his breaks, Ichigo felt a shiver run down his back. Pausing to peer through the darkness, Ichigo froze. He hadn't noticed it before over the sounds of his struggling to move forward, but now he heard a second set of breathing. Someone was waiting for him at the top of the burrow._

_Clamping a hand over his mouth to smother the sound of his breathing, Ichigo tried to scooch back as silently as possible. He was almost all the way back in when the back of his foot hit a stone, sending it clattering down into the burrow. Ichigo cringed at the noise, eyes blown wide open as he trembled in fear. Wheezing laughter broke the spell and Ichigo shot back down to the bottom of the burrow._

_"Aaaaw, don't be like that... It's no fun playing with your food if you can't see them..." A husky voice whispered._

_"At least he can hear..." A second voice whispered. The two began to cackle and Ichigo's stomach dropped._

_Shuffling was heard from above as the two left. Now that Ichigo was aware of their presence, they no longer bothered to be quiet. He could hear laughing and movement as skinners moved closer to his hiding spot. Eventually the chatter and laughter turned into screaming and whooping as something happened above. Straining to hear beyond the sick sounds of celebration, Ichigo finally heard the sound of something being dragged. Muffled noises came from above and Ichigo began to feel sick. He didn't understand what was happening, but it didn't sound good._

_"This one still has some kick!" Someone laughed._

_"Let's hear what he has to say..." Another said. More laughter was heard as Ichigo heard familiar screaming._

_"Mari!" Ichigo sobbed. He could hear his labored breathing, but he could also hear the pain in it._

_"Don't leave *cough* n-no matter what, I didn't waste my *cough* - my life on your pathetic e-existence just for you to fail your *cough* duties!" Mari cried weakly through bloody hacking._

_Something crunched loudly and Mari screamed in agony. Ichigo sobbed and tried to get closer, but there was only so far he could go without risking being caught._

_"Mmmmmm..." Someone groaned between a mouthful of something. "Delicious..."_

_After that the noise became unbearable. He could hear skinners rushing in from all sides as sick sucking and crunching noises filtered their way down into the burrow. But none of the feast's macabre symphony was as loud as Mari's screaming. Again and again he screamed, pain and agony saturating his cries as the feast went on without end. Blood began to dribble down the burrow to pool around Ichigo's feet, but he was too busy trying to cover his ears to notice it until another eternity later._

_Scratching at his head and face to try and distract himself from the noise, Ichigo rocked furiously back and forth as Mari continued to scream. Eventually his screams became weaker as the skinners continued to crunch and make hungry noises. It felt like forever had passed, but still Mari cried. Time inched forward and stretched into an eternity filled with Mari's groaning and Ichigo's sobbing._

_Finally, Mari's struggling and waning cries stopped. Unable to process what had happened, Ichigo sat silent and frozen listening to each skinner take his fill like an animal. Blank eyes stared at nothing through the darkness long after the noise had stopped, long after they had left. He was alone now, but he dared not move or breathe. It felt like if he did, he'd break some spell and have to face what had happened._

_It was silent._

_Mari was gone._

_It was so quiet._

_Even when he strained, he still couldn't feel Mari._

_Mari was gone. He was really gone._

_Slowly making his way out of the burrow to reach the outside again, Ichigo nearly vomited. Mari's corpse had been picked completely clean, stark white bones jutting out of Mari everywhere but the places inedible. Luckily Mari's face was to the ground, so Ichigo was spared the trauma of seeing whether or not the skinners had deemed his face... palatable. Blood stained the ground beneath Mari to run down into the burrow. Dropping down onto his knees, Ichigo found he couldn't move. All he could do was stare at what was left of his mentor as his young mind struggled to process the scene and events before him. Long moments passed and still Ichigo didn't move, even when he began to shiver from the cold._

_Reaching trembling hands up to his face, Ichigo's shoulders began to jerk. He had spent all his tears when Mari was... He didn't have anything left now. He had done this. He had killed Mari._ _If he had just been stronger none of this would have happened. He was weak, and in the end he couldn't even grant Mari a painless death._

_Ichigo had utterly failed to protect his one and only friend._

_Touching his head to the ground, Ichigo finally began to shake off his numbness. Now he felt a barrage of horrible emotions. Horror, shock, grief, guilt, self-loathing, and rage. Slamming his fists into the ground, Ichigo let out a piercing scream._

_He had done this, HE HAD DONE THIS._

_Pounding the ground again, Ichigo covered his head with his arms and cried soundlessly. No tears fell down his face this time. Mari had hated how he always cried, so this once Ichigo would not shed tears. Crying wouldn't erase what had happened, wouldn't make him stronger._

_That's what he needed, to be stronger. He needed to be the strongest, the fastest, whatever it took to be able to protect._

_That one word rang in his head over and over again, a terrible combination of failure and future. He had failed, but he would make it right. Friends were supposed to protect one another, so he would get strong enough to protect the people he cared about. Even that wasn't enough, if he could just protect somebody, ANYBODY. That was what Mari had told him, that he had a destiny waged in war. Ichigo would make this his his destiny, protection. He never again wanted to lose someone, and he would make sure it didn't happen._

_He would fight._

_He would protect._

_Protect._

_PROTECT._

_PROTECT!_

.

.

.

Ichigo shot up with a gasp, adrenaline racing through his body. Dragging himself on all fours to escape the water behind him, Ichigo began vomiting water. Finally raising his head to look around, Ichigo sucked in a sharp breath. Standing atop the fallen shell of a skyscraper, Ichigo was surrounded by darkness. Below him everything was dark water, deceptively calm. The skyscraper he was on seemed to be the only one not completely submerged, but even this building was just barely out of the water. The only sources of light came from two massive and a couple smaller cracks showing Ichigo where the water ended.

_So this is what Shiro had meant by keeping me out of the way..._

Unlike the Empty, this place felt suffocatingly full. The darkness was practically water itself, pressing down on him in an invasive and oppressive manner. Being here sent chills up his spine, but it wasn't like he had much choice in the matter. He had no idea Shiro could trap him in his own mind like this. Shiro...

God knew what that bastard was doing with his body, but Ichigo had a feeling it wasn't donating to charity. It might not have been Shiro's intention to force these memories onto Ichigo, but the result was similar to what the freaky spirit wanted. Ichigo was starting to seriously doubt that what had happened to him wasn't real.

Everything felt so real when he was remembering Mari's death, and this place was as real as the ridiculous hair on his head. Was all this really real? Had he been right all along and just couldn't accept it? Lena had literally beat into him that all the things he believed to have happened weren't real, but Lena wasn't exactly stable, and how would she know if such things had happened? She was just an ordinary soul. If she wasn't, then she would have recognized what he was talking about. She would have come looking for him after he killed himself.

Shivering in the frigid darkness, Ichigo rubbed his arms. If all this was true, then why hadn't Zangetsu ever contacted him? Why hadn't he had any powers or been able to leave his body when he came back home? Even after that hell his mother had called "a rough three years with your father," he still hadn't heard so much of a peep from his zanpakuto. He couldn't have possibly shoved them down... could he? He did make these ice walls for his memories without meaning to, was it possible for him to shut out his own inner spirits?

But that didn't explain Shiro's apparent lack of knowledge to the fact that he had a human body and life outside the Old Worlds. Or his unawareness of the memories within these walls... He could hide memories from before he met his zanpakuto spirits all he wanted, but the memories of those three years had happened in the Old World where he had his zanpakuto. His spirits should have had some sort of memory, no matter how suppressed they had been. Maybe Shiro did remember, but he just felt like Ichigo was making a big deal out of nothing?

That was a possibility... Even when Ichigo had believed he'd been through the things he remembered, he had been unbelievably angry with himself for reacting the way he did. Plenty of people went through worse things and here he was acting like his whole world had fallen apart. It disgusted him and made him feel so weak, so maybe Shiro shared the sentiment?

Even so, there was a reason Ichigo didn't want his spirits in here. It was nothing but pain, for him and them. People had hurt him and cut him up in places he didn't even understand, and he knew how deeply that would hurt his spirits. They felt responsible for Ichigo's well-being, but in reality it was they who needed protecting in Ichigo's eyes. So he never talked about what happened to him before he unlocked his spirits or those three years that haunted him. He hadn't meant to put up a wall like this, but it made sense. He didn't want to remember these horrible things - they were what had drove him to kill himself in the first place. They had made his life a living hell when he finally made it back home. A never-ending nightmare that forced its way into the waking world.

What's worse than going through something painful?

No one believing you. No one understanding why you flinch when someone tries to touch you, when someone speaks just a little too loud or moves just a little too fast. No one understanding why you suddenly break down screaming and shaking for no reason all the time. No one understanding why you can't stand to be near other people anymore. No one understanding why you stopped speaking... eating... crying...

Being told you're faking it, you're making it up. Being told you're crazy. You're a freak. A troublemaker. You just don't care about school anymore. You're antisocial. You're disruptive. You just want to cause trouble for your teachers - all you have to do is just pay attention and speak when they tell you to. Nothing's stopping you.

And you believe them, because no one believes you.

You don't understand why you still hurt from all these things that never happened, why won't they go away? How dare you act this way and pout over things you made up, there are people who actually go through these things. You have no right to complain and cry and scream and cut - don't you understand there are people who's lives are absolutely terrible?! You have it easy and yet you feel like your life is falling apart. How dare you feel this way.

So it was hard for Ichigo to go back to believing what happened was real. He'd spent so long feeling bitter and hopeless when no one believed, then angry and confused when he didn't believe himself.

Ichigo honestly didn't know what to believe anymore. If he was going to believe all this was real, it had to be real.

Ichigo stood, slowly picking himself up. He was sore all over for some reason, but he couldn't see any visible injuries. That could mean Shiro was fighting currently, and considering who Shiro was, that was more than likely.

Unlike Ichigo, when Shiro was taken over as a hollow, he lost all sentience and became a monster made up of pure instinct. At least before when Ichigo was stuck in that strange in-between state of awareness and hollow (thanks for that, Shiro), he was following his own instincts. Sure, he still had the hunger of a hollow, but it wasn't all-consuming. His instincts weren't like Shiro's, he wasn't a creature of death and violence. His instincts were to fight and protect, to hide and wait. He wouldn't kill someone just for standing in front of him like Shiro would.

Ichigo swore. Ichigo had to get out of here before Shiro hurt somebody. Looking around, Ichigo tried to figure out which of the cracks leaking light was closest to him. The two largest cracks were pretty far away, but there was a small one not too far from Ichigo.

Crouching down low, Ichigo tried to gauge the distance he'd need to clear. With a loud boom, Ichigo shot off the fallen skyscraper in an explosion of glass to soar through the air. As Ichigo came closer to the crack he was surprised to find that it was much bigger than he'd first thought.

Ichigo was just about to soar through the blinding light back into his inner world when he was suddenly yanked back hard enough to nearly break his back, knocking the wind out of him. Plunging back into darkness, Ichigo struggled to make a reishi platform in the air before he fell back into the inky water below. Ichigo managed to stop his descent inches from the dark sea. Gasping and clutching his stomach, Ichigo waited until he finally caught his breathe.

"Jesus..." Ichigo coughed.

Well that was certainly rougher than he'd expected.

Glaring at the icy walls, it was then that Ichigo actually saw that the water never touched the walls themselves. Instead it sat suspended a good five inches from the walls, roiling and rippling menacingly. Fascinated, Ichigo watched as the ripples turned to massive waves closer to the crack he had just tried to slip through, jumping up to challenge whatever force was holding it back in a spectacular tide. It looked like the water might actually make it out and spill out, but only a portion managed to get through. The rest was violently repelled back.

It was obvious even to Ichigo that what he was seeing was direct symbolism of his darker memories trying to escape the self-imposed prison shoving them down. Though having it happen in reality was a bit more dangerous... He knew his inner world was constantly submerged from all the rain and raging storms, but the water level hadn't been quite as bad the last time he was here as it was now. Sure, it wasn't the worst it had ever been, but then again his worst was acid rain typhoons, exploding skyscrapers, and a dying sun, so...

Growling, Ichigo tensed himself and prepared to try again. If those stupid memories that  _he_  wanted in here could escape, so could he. There was no reason for him to want himself in here. Unless he was subconsciously trying to prevent himself from continuing life based on the deep-rooted fear of having to live again instilled in him from his many scrapes with death as a child escalated by the traumatic nature of his life's final chapter, but that was reading into the situation too much. Right?

Launching himself, Ichigo braced himself for a fight. Sure enough, as soon as he came close enough to leave, something tried to farce him. It was only by clawing and scraping at reishi platforms over and over again that Ichigo finally managed to drag himself into the light. The turbulent sounds of water crashing and roiling behind him began to fade as he let out a cry of determination with one final push. Everything went white and Ichigo felt the pressure suddenly leave.

x

Something was howling quite loudly, and it was making it really hard for Ichigo to sleep.

Wait.

Ichigo's eyes flew open to find a most distressing site. The howling in question was due to the fact that he was plummeting straight through the air right for a crumbling skyscraper.

"aaaaaAAAAAHH **HHHHHH!** " Ichigo's growing cry of panic was abruptly interrupted when he was slammed into from the side.

Unfortunately, his "savior" actually had worse plans for him and promptly ran him straight through one of the few skyscrapers not submerged. Just barely getting about his wits after the shock of being rammed through a building, Ichigo twisted in his attacker's grip to throw them spiraling into another building an angry yell. He could guess who had just tried to turn him into mince meat.

"Shiro, you bastard!" Ichigo hollered. He was hellbent on taking back his body, but hearing a stuttering growl from the decimated building in front of him, Ichigo had a feeling words wouldn't be doing any good today.

Shiro shook his masked head with a hiss. Lowering his horns at Ichigo's throat menacingly, Shiro roared in rage. Great, autopliot Shiro was already pissed. Reaching back to pull out Zangetsu, Ichigo paled. He'd forgotten his blade wasn't there. Things just got a lot harder.

Squaring his shoulders, Ichigo put up his fists in a ready stance. It was more for balance really, I mean what was he gonna do, box with the beast? Shooting forward to swing at Ichigo, Shiro tried to grab Ichigo's face with his free hand. Luckily Ichigo was just as fast as ever.

Kicking out at Shiro lightening fast, Ichigo immediately dropped low to avoid the predicted swing, rolling forward to try and catch Shiro with an uppercut. Maybe if he could damage him a little, Shiro would have to pull out of the driver's seat to fight him for real, breaking the hollow instinct's hold over his sentience. It was clear that Shiro was busy fighting someone out in real life or else he would have come to his senses via Ichigo's presence, but that just meant he'd have to force him to pay attention to him. That would be difficult to do like this, but Ichigo thought of another problem. Would Shiro really let him take back control? He'd probably have to fight him, and their fights tended to take a while. That meant more time where Ichigo's body ran around a crazy murder beast.

He'd just have to take back control the old fashioned way.

Trading blows, neither one could yet hit each other. Ichigo was sweating from the exertion of having to fight with no blade against an opponent he had trouble fighting even with his sword. It was actually quite impressive how well he was doing, but Ichigo had never once been satisfied with his fighting prowess, so any significance was lost on him as always.

Nearly cuffing Shiro over the head, Ichigo was forced to bend backwards as Shiro tried to cleave him in half. Snapping back up, Ichigo aimed a kick at Shiro's unprotected side, but he seemed to know that was coming and quickly sidestepped the attack. Huffing slightly, Ichigo switched tactics and tried to surprise Shiro with a charge. But Shiro wasn't there anymore.

"Gah!" Ichigo cried as Shiro clipped his shoulder.

Flashing away before Shiro could finish the attack, Ichigo clutched his shoulder and panted. Blood welled up around his hand, but still he refused to stop fighting. Yelling in defiance, Ichigo attacked Shiro again and again. Their deadly dance was clearly favoring Shiro, but that didn't matter. Ichigo would win, he had to. By now he was bleeding from several places, but he'd managed to get in a blow of his own, however minor. Chest heaving, Ichigo growled stubbornly and tried to kick the back of Shiro's knee with a fancy shunpo maneuver. As fast as the beginning had been, Ichigo was beginning to tire. Before Ichigo could move away, Shiro snapped out to grab Ichigo by the ankle, flinging him.

Ichigo gave a short cry of pain as he felt his ankle crushed, but it was cut off once he hit the water. Sinking below, Ichigo forced himself upright to stand on reishi again. Their fight had been going on for hours, but things like that never deterred Ichigo. Bleeding buckets of blood and hopelessly fighting a battle he couldn't possibly win was pretty much every Tuesday for Ichigo at this point.

Besides, he could feel the power shifting in him. He knew he was pressing Shiro, proving himself King of this world once again. It was about damn time for things to be ready for the next step. This world, soul, blade, and body were all his, and he was basically screaming his claim at the inner spirit. He would force the blade in Shiro's hands to be his own, here and out in the real world.

Seeing Shiro flash into view without warning, Ichigo threw open his arms in challenge.

"Come on then!" Ichigo screamed.

Returning his own warped scream, Shiro charged Ichigo blade first. But this time Ichigo didn't dodge, zanpakuto skewering him with sick shlucking sound. Jerking in shock, Shiro froze.

Locking eyes with the empty pits of Shiro's mask, Ichigo clamped both hands down on the sword,  _his_  sword. Slowly forcing it deeper, blood dripped from Ichigo's half-open mouth. At the same time that it was cutting him, he could also feel the sword sinking into his soul. Pain wavered with the tenuous control Ichigo was gaining.

Shiro tried to yank his blade back, looking back and forth between Ichigo and his sword. He knew what Ichigo was doing now, and he was desperate to stop him. Pulling and growling, Shiro's efforts did nothing to stop Zangetsu from sliding into Ichigo. Ichigo's grip was one of iron, and there was no breaking it now.

Zangetsu was halfway through Ichigo when Shiro began to shudder and groan. The balance was tipping back towards Ichigo, and the consequences were finally drawing Shiro out of his hollow state. Cracks began to form on Shiro's mask, modified shihakusho slowly reverting back to normal. Slowly the pits of Shiro's mask began to glow with angry yellow eyes, mask breaking off in chunks and receding. Howling in rage, Shiro redoubled his efforts to take Zangetsu back, but his struggles were useless.

By now Ichigo's body was completely oblivious to the pain, the feeling of being whole again overtaking any other. This was his blade, and it belonged with him. He wasn't bleeding nearly as much, Zangetsu slowly fusing with him again. While Zangetsu was  _his_  blade, it wouldn't cut him unless he wanted it to.

A final cracking sound brought the rest of Shiro's mask crumbling away, fully himself again.

 ** _"_ _Stop it! You don't understand what you're doing!"_**  Shiro screeched. Ichigo refused to look away from Shiro's rage filled eyes.

"No! I know full well what I'm doing, and I know what you're trying to do! I need my blade with me here just as much as I need it with me out there!" Ichigo exclaimed.

He'd had some time to think about a lot of things when he was fighting Shiro, and he'd figured out how Shiro was wielding his own blade instead of the inverse version. Shiro had forced Zangetsu's physical manifestation to recede so he could take the blade, forcing Ichigo to fight without. It was also another way of stopping Ichigo from taking back control, but he wasn't defeated that easily.

The other thing he had thought about was that particular memory he'd been subjected to. There had to be a reason for that specific one to come to him like that, and he had a pretty strong hunch it had to do with why Shiro was freaking out.

 ** _"I'm trying to help you! You can't just take back all your powers and_ not _expect to be taken back! They've had years to sink their claws into your soul, you can't just make them let go!"_**  Shiro spat at Ichigo. So he was right.

"But I'm not taking back my quincy powers - do you see me holding Ossan's blade? You're both Zangetsu, and I have to accept both of you to have both blades." Ichigo retorted. Shiro hissed. Ichigo was right, and he knew it.

The first time he'd ended up in the Old Worlds, it was quincies who had somehow brought him there. He had had no idea how they were forcing him to leave his body and go there, but he'd always just assumed they were using his quincy powers as a connection. It didn't really explain how they managed to pull him out of his human body when his quincy and other powers were only present and accessible when he was in the Old World, but it was the only explanation he had. Even when Ossan had revealed to him that he was actually a manifestation of quincy powers directly derived from the father of all quincy - "The Father" as his real name was taboo - Ichigo still hadn't connected it. But now when he was forced to look back to the first time he had summoned spirit ribbons, he realized the light blue threads - his quincy power - had felt cagey and tense. Those quincies weren't relying on his quincy powers themselves, but the connection he had to whoever was the father of the quincy. After all, the quincies had called him the son born of darkness...

That also meant that The Father had a connection to him, and if he took back his quincy powers, he'd be exposed. Both Yhwach and the quincies could force him back there, and that was  _not_  what he wanted.

 _ **"Then you don't really deserve this blade - it's both of us or none! You purposely suppressed us when you were in your human body, so how can you truly accept us?!"**_  Shiro shot back. It was an excuse, but Ichigo would answer his spirit nonetheless.

"You really think I would shut you out from my human life - why do you think I was so upset when I finally saw you?! I thought  _you_  had abandoned me, that you weren't real! I wasn't suppressing you, something else was. If those bastard Gottlich could force my soul to travel to another world, what's to say they couldn't seal my powers when I wasn't in the Old World? I couldn't even leave my body!" Ichigo said.

Shiro looked a little hesitant now, but he still refused to let Ichigo take back his blade.

 _ **"That doesn't excuse you from winter wonderland over there!"**_  Shiro snarled with a jerk of his head towards the ice prison. Ichigo's determined expression fell slightly.

"Would I hide who I am from you? Have I ever shied away from my failures or tried to shield you from my shame? I didn't mean to make that thing, but I didn't want you to see... I just wanted to protect you..." Ichigo said quietly. Shiro was faltering more now, hearing the truth in Ichigo's words. It pissed him off to no end.

 ** _"What, you think we're too weak to handle whatever's in there?! You think we're not equipped to deal with your shit?! It's not your job to protect us!"_**  Shiro shot back. Ichigo's eyes flashed and he ripped Zangetsu from Shiro's hands to disappear through his chest.

" _YES IT IS!_ " Ichigo screamed as power surrounded him.

 ** _"Ichigo!"_**  Shiro shrieked.

He tried to restrain Ichigo, but there was too much power flowing out of Ichigo to stop him completely. Ichigo was holding Zangetsu in his hand now, the blade's inverse back with his inner spirit. The two struggled with each other, but it was too late for Shiro to do any damage. Ichigo was fading from his inner world faster than Shiro could pull him back.

Water violently churned and thunder rolled as Ichigo's inner world reacted violently to the change. Black ooze began shooting out of the skyscraper in an explosion of glass to bubble over and mix with the pelting rain. Things weren't looking good, but at least nothing was on fire or being burned by acid, so Ichigo continued to pull himself away from his inner world.

Darkness encroached.

x

Pain lanced through Ichigo as he panted. He could feel his power roiling inside him, but he refused to release it.

Dizzy and nauseous, Ichigo raised his head to try and see where he was and what was happening. His golden eyes locked with cerulean ones. He didn't know the electric blue-haired arrancar crouching before him, but some part of him recognized the man. It was obvious this was who Shiro had been fighting, but he had a feeling he might have met him when he was in his suspended hollow state.

Frozen in place, the arrancar kept his eyes glued on Ichigo, evaluating and silently appraising him. Ichigo mostly did the same, but the strange feeling tugging at his soul was a bit distracting. It hurt a lot, and it felt like something was trying to drag him somewhere. That immediately made him think of the quincies and shove his reiatsu down, violently pushing that tug away. He needed to get away from here, he needed to hide somewhere until he could get things under control. He couldn't stay hollowfied like this forever, and he could already feel his hollow powers receding. This transformation wouldn't last.

"Well, that was one hell of a surprise, got anything else you wanna show me?" The arrancar asked, carefully watching Ichigo.

Ichigo instinctively flinched at his voice, but neglected to answer. Instead he dragged himself up to stand, warily watching the arrancar as he continued to pant. The two watched each other for a tense heartbeat before the Ichgio raised Zangetsu. The other was immediately on guard, but there was no need. Ichigo didn't plan on finishing this fight.

Raising his sword to cut the sky, Ichigo focused not on the instinctive pull towards the Empty, using his shinigami side to draw a destination.

"Oh no you don't!" The arrancar yelled as Ichigo's hybrid garganta split the air.

He shot forward to try and grab Ichigo, but only managed to grab air as Ichigo flashed through the rip, closing it behind him as quick as possible. Darkness stretched out before him as he ran along reishi platforms. He wasn't sure exactly where he was going, but so long as it wasn't the Empty or the Old Worlds, he was fine.

* * *

 **San Teikoku**  - Three empires

 **Nejireta**  - twisted

 **Gottlich**  - divine

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know whether it says more about my story or me that having Ichigo listen to his only "friend" slowly being eaten alive isn't anywhere near the worst this story has to offer. But hey, it just be like that sometimes.
> 
> (inspired by fanfiction.net review) - I didn't mean to confuse people about the whole Ichigo dying and being reborn thing, but it seems that's accidentally apart of some of the mysteries in here. The only thing I will say is that Ichigo did not die in the thousand year blood war arc because, - and this is important - everything that was canon in Bleach has happened in my story. So he lived through the war and married Orihime and all that jazz at the end of the manga. Relationships, deaths, births, everything has happened and has to be canon in this story, just in a different life. In other words, if Isshin loves Masaki in Bleach (which he does thank god) then he loves her in Rebirth. Events are a little different because of how the world has changed in the act of being reborn (confusing now, but it'll be clearer later) and very specific things have to line up for certain events to happen. But as the characters are all pretty much the same in personality and connections to each other, they're likely to act in the same way that might cause similar events like the Ichigo's old group of friends getting together in this life. I'm not sure about the filler arcs and what stuff I'm going to include from there, but we'll see.
> 
> What I do get to play with is all the stuff canon didn't say was or was not a thing. They never said unicorns didn't exist, so I could have those in here. Hell if I wanted Chad to be a bisexual theater enthusiast with a closet full of greek yogurt, I could because no one said he wasn't. The things I make up just have to fit with who the characters are and what's realistic to the story, and I really don't feel Chad has a strong desire to hoard yogurt so he won't. It's a little different with Orihime because I've had to change her character as I've talked about in my end comments in chapter 1 my titles, not the automated ones), but I'm mostly going off of who she was before they only used her as a sexy lamp in distress. But anyways, this is why Ichigo died and had to be reborn, because they ended Bleach with Ichigo alive and well not saying that I couldn't kill him and everyone else off. Hey, it's logical to the story since they decided to kill off the main omniscient with a last minute shoddy confusing random-ass fricking - I won't get into that now. But honestly this is what they get, no one should ever leave me with loopholes.  
> As always, thank you for your feedback and let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 8: Revelations and Tribulations

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Speech/Thoughts_

**_Shiro (Zangetsu)_ **

**The Old Man/Ossan (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 8: Revelations and Tribulations**

-x-

**Kisuke Urahara**

"What...  _is that_?" Isshin asked in shock and disgust.

Everyone stood around what could only be described as an oil spill corpse, twisted black limbs splayed out on Kisuke's examining table. Kisuke had originally wanted to leave the Kurosakis and guests out of this, but Yuzu still needed to identify the creature and Rukia had resolutely insisted once she heard the way Yoruichi was describing the creature. Curse that pipsqueak's superior hearing.

"Something I've never seen before." Kisuke answered darkly.

Masaki and Isshin shot each other concerned looks. If Kisuke didn't even know what it was, this was serious. Yoruichi frowned at the thing she had transported to Kisuke's shop. She hadn't really expected everyone to follow Kisuke here like this to inspect the creature, but she supposed that's what you get when all your plans get interrupted. Now everyone was staring at the monster in stasis with a variety of expressions.

Rukia and Kisuke both had the same intense expression of calculation and concern. Chad seemed mostly neutral, but his hands were gripped into tight fists as he sat to the side with Yuzu so she wouldn't have to look at the creature again. Masaki and Isshin were both looking between Yuzu and the creature with concern and a certain degree of horror. Karin sat pale and stiff, clenching her jaw. Orihime just looked plain disgusted.

"Where the hell did this thing come from, Kisuke?" Yoruichi asked. Kisuke hid a grimace behind his fan. That was the million-dollar question, but he'd really hoped they wouldn't crack open that can of worms so soon.

"Well... To explain that, I'm going to have to take you all through a little history lesson." Kisuke said.

Ushering everyone away from the creature and into his meeting room (or "Sleepover Headquarters," if you will), Kisuke got out the set of set of files and devices he needed. Once everyone was seated and sipping at their tea, courtesy of Tessai, Kisuke clasped his hands over the table.

"I know that our senior members of the supernatural world know their history, but there are quite a few youngsters here with no such knowledge, so bear with me until I get to the main parts." Kisuke said. Taking a deep breathe, Kisuke launched into the deep history of the world.

"As you already know, our world consists of three realms - which we still ironically refer to as worlds - connected by various pathways through the Dangai. Each world is claimed by a different race, save the World of the Living where Quincies managed to develop different from humans. But less known or talked about is the fourth realm, the Royal Realm. Unlike the Soul Society, World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo, the Royal Realm has been around for a different amount of time. It would make sense for the Royal Realm to exist if it came into existence after the other realms, but the Royal Realm is actually eons older than the others." Kisuke said.

Orihime and Chad were both listening, fascinated while Yuzu and Karin absorbed the information with wide eyes.

"Not only this, but there's an entire city within the Royal Realm. The ruins there, specifically a massive palace, leave a massive mystery about the nature of our world. While no one knows just what the Royal Realm is or why it contains relics and traces from quincies, shinigami, and arrancar, it remains untouchable and impervious to time. There are many theories as to what it means and how it came to be located from the Soul Society, but the most popular one is that it at one point in time held a being responsible for balance between the worlds and some sort of disaster had erased this being and the civilizations it ruled over." Kisuke said.

He himself had studied the Royal Realm extensively, and this theory was indeed the most plausible. It still left everything about the Royal Realm shrouded in mystery, so he had gone farther than any before him to try and figure out the various puzzles of that realm. It had ended quite disastrously, but at least he could use his knowledge to help his long time friends and new pupils.

"I personally suspect that this being had more to do with the traffic and flow of souls rather than balance based on the warnings left behind in it's palace. Very few people share this suspicion though, and the first theory is almost always accepted as truth." Kisuke said with a sigh. One would never learn if they simply accepted theory as fact.

"Why?" Orihime asked. Kisuke seemed very smart to her, and from the way he talked about the world, it seemed like he'd been around for a long time.

"Because it suggests that the balance had been tipped before in favor of the shinigami. Shinigami are in charge of regulating soul traffic actively. That would fault them for tipping that balance and destroying the previous civilizations." Isshin said with a frown. He'd never heard Kisuke voice this theory before, or really talk about the Royal Realm in general.

"Ah, but not necessarily. There is absolutely no trace of the civilizations that were indicated to exist from the Royal Realm. If it really was the shinigami's fault, there would have been some evidence of destruction, some trace in any of the three worlds, but there is none. It's as if the Royal Realm is from a completely different existence..." Kisuke said slyly.

He couldn't help but enjoy getting his guests to think and question like this. Maybe he just wanted them to experience the same thrill of a mystery that he had (minus the terrible consequences of what had happened because of it).

"Despite what Central 46 would have you believe, no one knows just what lays hidden inside the Royal Realm. What we know is carefully regulated to reveal only what is explicitly meant for all. The rest hides inside the Royal Palace, protected by secret barriers, spells, and booby traps as well as guarded by squad zero and special Schutzstaffel. The only race not to place guards in the Royal Realm are arrancar, but that's simply because they feel the information there is mostly beneficial to the other races as well as biased." Kisuke said.

"I myself have been lucky enough to be within one of the research teams tasked with the Royal Realm, but my curiosity came with a price..." Kisuke said ominously.

Isshin, Masaki and Yoruichi were suddenly listening more intently than before. They all knew that Kisuke had been exiled from the Soul Society the same way that Masaki had, in a tangle of rules and regulations twisted by some shady force. But they never knew the exact details. Yoruichi was the only one to know that it had to do with his time in the Royal Realm, but that wasn't anywhere near a full story.

"For as many deterrents and precautions within the palace to prevent curious minds from indulging themselves, their defenses aren't impenetrable. The palace itself is surprisingly sentient, certain sections rejecting any entry no matter the purpose of an individual. Some of these restrictions contradict the modern outside defenses. I was studying near one such permanently closed sections when I somehow managed to trigger a release. I still don't know exactly what allowed me to enter that section of the palace, but it's the result of my entry that matters." Kisuke said.

Sure, the question of what he had done to unlock parts of the palace burned in his mind like a thousand suns every single time he even thought about that blasted palace of endless mysteries to the point of becoming an unreachable itch only satisfied by destroying that tantalizing challenge, but he could ignore that for now. Definitely.

"I obviously can't tell you what I saw in there..." Kisuke said with a smirk. "But I can tell you one of the things I learned as a result."

"You see, our world is actually made up of far more nothing than things, something figured out even by human scientists. But the addition of multiple realms and an afterlife complicates things. No one has really thought to explore the space outside these realms because of the existence of the dangai. The dangai suggests that even in the spaces between things, there has to be something. This assumption is wrong." Kisuke said.

"You're not going to turn our whole reality upside down... are you?" Isshin asked weakly. He'd had far too many conversations with the man that had started with the weather and ended with the true meaning of life. Kisuke grinned.

"Not today..." Kisuke said. Isshin didn't feel any better.

"It's nonsensical to compare reality with the dangai in a set of standards. You have to look at what something's made up of and pick it apart. Our world in concept is nothing but a set of delicate balances in unknown contradictions, concepts and their opposites, so we can tell already that there has to be a place of nothing to contradict everything." Kisuke explained with a wave of his hand. Everyone just stared at him blankly. Kisuke scratched his head.

"Ah, sorry... I mean to say that the place between worlds isn't a place at all, but the opposite of reality. It's completely empty outside of the different realms and worlds." Kisuke said.

"Oooooooooh." Everyone chorused.

"Even though this are can't be considered a place, I've still chosen to give it a working name to simplify things: Muko. Because Muko is technically nothing, it's the natural host for places of existence to come into being. How our world was born is unclear, but it's starting place was likely in Muko. Once reality became structured enough or some other element was introduced, our world could no longer be considered within Muko. It is my belief that the Royal Realm is actually the remnant of another world separate to ours." Kisuke said.

Everyone was silent for a moment before everyone began to talk at once. Sitting amidst the chaos calmly, Orihime's hand shot up and she patiently waited for Kisuke to notice her.

"Ah! Miss Inoue." Kisuke yelled over the talking. Orihime sat up straighter.

"Um, so you're saying that there's another world we don't know about... And you're telling us all this because of that creature we found... Do you think that creature is from this other world?" Orihime asked. Kisuke flipped his fan open and grinned. He was going to enjoy teaching his new pupils.

"Yes, but it's important to understand that this other world doesn't have to be anything like ours. It could be similar to the dangai, which would explain this creature's strange appearance and abilities. When I say that the Royal Realm is a remnant of this other world, I don't mean that it was never apart of our world because that would make no sense. There's just too much evidence of all the races in the Royal Realm; it obviously belongs to this world. I'm saying that the Royal Realm once held a connection to this other place. It would be like the World of the Living being attached to the Soul Society through the dangai for centuries until one day the dangai was somehow destroyed. The World of the Living would still be in the same place and be connected to Hueco Mundo, you just couldn't get to it directly from the Soul Society. While the main pathway is gone, there are still other ways to get through, and that's what this creature has done, found another path through the Royal Realm into the World of the Living." Kisuke said.

"There could be more of these creatures, undetected?" Masaki asked with a dangerous edge to her voice.

The only reason she let her children have the freedom they did in such a dangerous world was because Kisuke helped to make that world less dangerous by constantly tracking everything and warning them. He'd promised them they would be safe here because he knew this world in and out, knew everything that went on the moment it came into existence.

Kisuke felt a slight shiver. He admitted this instance was his fault, a random blunder that had nearly cost Masaki's little girl her life. He'd taken this town as his responsibility and made a point of being precise and accurate in everything he did. It was a point of great pride for him, so for something like this to happen was serious. He knew full well he needed to fix this.

"Possibly... But not the same type of creature that attacked Yuzu." Kisuke said.

Pulling out a small laptop, Kisuke opened it up to display a line graph of sorts charting something in colorful marks and hues. Everyone huddled around to see the screen better.

"What you see here is the culmination of fifteen years and nine months of dedicated research and recording, the continuation of a mystery I discovered while monitoring Karakura Town in person. Yoruichi-san knows of the work I'm showing you, but I'm afraid i haven't been all that honest in sharing the true nature of my mystery signature." Kisuke said with a slightly sheepish grin to Yoruichi.

Yoruichi just rolled her eyes. She knew Kisuke hadn't been completely truthful with her, but that didn't stop her from helping him with his investigation. That's just how the madman worked, and it was better to trust that his plans were half in the dark for a reason.

"You see, fifteen years ago I picked up on reiatsu like I had never experienced before. It was powerful and heavy, but unbelievably restrained and more importantly, untraceable. I only felt it for a few minutes before it was gone again, as if it had never even existed. When I went to check my sensors, I found that they hadn't picked up on anything abnormal, so I re-calibrated and resumed vigilance. It was obvious that I had felt reiatsu, but that was all I could feel, that it was reiatsu. Not that it was a result of a person's reiryoku or was even tied to a person." Kisuke said.

"Stranger yet was that this reiatsu held no signature scent, no defining feature that could tell me if or what it was tied to. That's what made it untraceable and largely undetected, that there wasn't any object, person, or creature for me to track it to. This is why my sensors weren't picking up on anything. But I knew something was there, so I began checking averages and their distributions until I finally found something abnormal." Kisuke said.

Fiddling with the keys, Kisuke pulled up a piece of the graph where a strange shape was depicted next to the line. Pressing something, Kisuke showed everyone a small animation of the strange shape developing from a blue dot to a sort of spectral circle growing in size until it imploded, collapsing in on itself.

"I discovered that there had been an overlooked anomaly in Karakura town developing  _before_  I felt the mystery reiatsu. It had originally been overlooked because the shape and nature of the reishi distribution occurring was similar to a senkaimon or gargantua, only rougher and about 30x smaller. By my calculations, the reiatsu had been displacing reishi like this in the Living World for about 9 months before I felt it, meaning that it had been slowly leaking into the Living World from somewhere else and pooling into a specific point. Once the entirety of the energy had finished pooling and developing, the reishi displacement ceased and the reiatsu became complete, finally releasing a signature that only I had felt for some reason. The animation I just showed you depicts this happening, but notice that once the reiatsu reaches a certain size (completion), the shape collapses in on itself and disappears. That means that whatever portal or opening allowing this reiatsu and its owner to come through closed as soon as everything was through. It's no longer accessible." Kisuke said.

"That should mean that the two foreign creatures, the fifteen year old resident and the newer resident are not the same creature. But it doesn't mean they aren't from the same place." Kisuke said.

He then showed them a point on the graph where the line wavered and suddenly shot up from a cool blue to an angry red.

"It wasn't until four years after the first signature that I got another one, but this one was just as untraceable as the first. While still unable to get a location, I was finally able to get a hit on the reiatsu itself. It wasn't detailed enough to even classify it as living or not, but it was enough to mark it as a variable that I could pick up on. A variable scarily similar to this popped up when I began testing the week old creature." Kisuke said. Yoruichi's eyes widened.

"You've finally found out where your mystery signature came from: Muko." Yoruichi said.

Kisuke couldn't help but smirk. It was unbelievably satisfying to be able to gain so much headway on something that had been escaping him for fifteen years. He would celebrate if it wasn't for the situation at hand.

"Yes, there's no other place it could come from." Kisuke confirmed. Masaki frowned.

"And just what kind of creature is this?" Masaki asked.

"Considering there hasn't been mass slaughter or chaos, it's either neutral or friendly. I don't know more because frankly, I believe someone has been trying to hide it. Readings from the mystery signature after I got a hit out on it became much more frequent but far weaker. Five years after that there was another signature just as powerful as the very first, but immediately after there was absolutely no activity for three years. When it did come back, it was about five times stronger than the first. Since then readings had been frequent but weak until the pattern proved true again. My sensors practically exploded the night of the academy incident, immediately went quiet, and then picked up on Friday. For signatures to spike up stronger each time only to be squashed back down immediately after seems a bit fishy..." Kisuke said.

"You think someone has been putting seals on the mystery signature?" Yoruichi asked, putting it together.

"Indeed. But the seals must be proving too weak for the rate of growth the signature is showing, which is why we get such a strange pattern. Whatever it is is getting stronger, and while my graph doesn't quite point this out, my new pupils surprisingly do!" Kisuke said with a grin to Chad and Orihime.

The two in question looked extremely confused as well as put on the spot.

"But the strangest thing we've come across was my brother and now this mean old little-girl-snatcher." Orihime said.

"That you know of. Since I first began tracking my little mystery signature, souls in Karakura town have been reaching spiritual awareness faster and faster each year, and those that aren't are saving up more and more power. You and your particular group of friends, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro stood out. Each of you were storing more and more power coming from a foreign source that just so happened to resemble my mystery signature. Seals can only hold so much power, and when you get a soul or creature growing as fast as the mystery signature, then excess power is bound to leak out and affect the souls around it." Kisuke said.

"Is that why we ended up with powers?" Chad asked. Kisuke hummed.

"Yes and no. The powers you have are a part of your soul and have always had the potential to develop in you. Normally these powers wouldn't have awoken until you died and went to the Soul Society, but the foreign power affecting you sped up that process over the years. Your encounter at the academy is what boosted you to the point of spiritual awareness, which is why it is now paramount that you regain your memories of your time there. You bear the signature of the newer creature." Kisuke said. Orihime paled.

"That creature was at the academy? Oh god, is that what killed that poor teacher?" Orihime asked in a horrified voice. Chad put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he didn't look that well himself.

"Unfortunately, yes. I asked Yoruichi-san to take those special readings at the academy because that night my mystery signature was acting up. When I got the readings back, there were mixed signatures. Parts of it were close to my mystery signature, but other parts were different. Knowing now that you were involved, it makes sense since you still carried the mystery signature's scent during the incident." Kisuke said.

He might have been twisting things to make it seem like he had just stumbled upon these observations, but it was necessary. A little lying was alright if it managed to help them out in the end.

"So then there's obviously still a path open from Muko to our world - how else would this creature be here? It's entirely possible that these creatures are running around undetected." Masaki said, frowning at Kisuke.

"I'm actually quite certain of the opposite. This creature is likely to be the only other one currently here, and only for about a week at that." Kisuke said.

"But you just said these creatures have another way to get here - unless you know where it is, there's no way of stopping them from coming here." Yoruichi pointed out.

"Ah, this is where things get interesting. " Kisuke asked.

"If these creatures did have a way of getting here unhindered, then why was it just the one fifteen years ago and this one? The timeline between the two makes no sense and is unlikely to be a coincidence. What's also odd is that this creature was released on the anniversary of the fifteen year old creature's arrival. Even if a pathway just happened to open up, there wouldn't be anything stopping it from staying open and allowing more creatures to come through, but there's no evidence of any other creatures, and I would have picked up on an opening had it existed for more than a couple days. No, the pathway was clearly opened just long enough for a single creature to get through before immediately closing. All these instances are far too purposeful, too coordinated to be an accident or the work of something short-planned." Kisuke said, pausing slightly.

"It's almost as if this was a test, letting only one creature out to study it, use it like a scout... It seems someone purposely released this creature." Kisuke said.

Yoruichi's eyes hardened. Kisuke hadn't named any suspects, but she had a couple of people in mind from her and Kisuke's past that would do something like this. Rukia spoke up for the first time in a long while.

"And just who do you think would do something like that? You bring up a serious accusation that will no doubt require an investigation." Rukia said.

Kisuke hid his souring smile behind his fan. He'd never meant to bring the dutiful local shinigami into this, but he had had no choice after she had joined their little party and seen far too much. There was no way he could exclude her without looking exceedingly suspicious, so he was going to have to include her and hope she remained true.

"Indeed, but there will be no formal investigation." Kisuke said. Rukia stiffened.

"And why not? You've stumbled across a threat that needs to be addressed immediately! An investigation led by the Gotei 13 and facilitated by the Lichtreich would quickly find the perpetrators and bring them to justice before anyone else gets hurt. Not to mention the theories you suggest about our world and this 'Muko' are groundbreaking!" Rukia exclaimed.

"While your trust in your superiors is admirable, this isn't something you can just trust them with." Yoruichi interjected. Rukia bristled at the interpreted insult, but Kisuke held up a hand.

"We mean no offense to the people you no doubt hold in high regard, but Yoruichi-san is right. No one outside of us can know about this for a couple of reasons." Kisuke said.

Huffing still, Rukia crossed her arms and waited for Kisuke to continue. This whole deal smelled of criminal element, and the supposed humble shop keeper was looking shadier and shadier, but Yoruichi obviously trusted him. She was one of Rukia's superiors, so if even she felt bringing this information to the Gotei 13 was a bad idea, there must be a good reason.

"For every straight-laced good samaritan doing his duty, there is a hidden snake operating in the shadows - I should know!" Kisuke laughed with a bright grin. Yoruichi's eyebrow twitched. If this is what he thought easing Rukia's suspicions meant, he was never going to win her over.

"You see, when snooped around the academy incident and came up with those null signatures, I kept them in my data bank to see if any signatures popped up again, just in case. Imagine my surprise when they didn't show up in the academy feed! Surely the academy officials had this same signature entered in - they too never skip over null signatures. But when I checked, there was no signature. It had been completely erased along with a few other things from the file." Kisuke said, snapping his fan shut.

"Someone on the inside erased those signatures so no one would find out that creature had been there. Whoever did it is most likely connected to the people who released this creature in the first place. They could only know about such a creature and where it's from if they also knew about my mystery signature, so most likely I wasn't the only one to detect the fifteen year old outsider. That means that they've had years to plan this. There could be spies, informants, and insiders everywhere if they managed to penetrate such a tight-knit community of sticklers like the quincies. Releasing this kind of information... would put everyone in this room in danger." Kisuke said.

Rukia's pensive gaze shifted at that as she looked around the room. Civilians, innocents, exiles, children... Two of the people here had already been hurt by someone pulling strings from within the Gotei, and even an official  _within_  the organization didn't trust them.

"I'm going to ask something big of you, Rukia. You can of course say no, but I must ask you to consider for our sakes. Can we trust you to keep this secret? Kisuke asked.

Rukia looked around at everyone in the room again, a little put out. Masaki and Isshin were watching her passively, Chad and Orihime curious, Karin apprehensive, Yuzu concerned, Yoruichi unreadable, and Kisuke solemn. Shaking her head, Rukia sighed.

"Can you really expect me to say no? My job is to protect the innocents of this world first and foremost. No one will know about what's happened here." Rukia said, the last part resolute.

Orihime and Yuzu whooped as the tension immediately dissolved, everyone relaxing and thanking Rukia. Isshin cried loudly in relief while Karin yelled at him, Orhime chatting excitedly to Kisuke about changing the club name to "Super Secret Educational Extracurricular Academic Student Club." Rukia tried to cut through the noise by standing up, but it wasn't really that attention-grabbing, so she began to yell over everyone.

"HEY! I didn't say my silence was without cost!" Rukia yelled. Kisuke had a feeling he knew what she was demanding, but it was all part of his plan.

"Fair enough." Kisuke said, solemn expression back (no longer genuine). Orihime nodded and sat down by Rukia.

"Then we must each give you a lock of our hair as a symbolic show of our mercy to your will." Orihime said with a sage look. Everyone looked at Orihime.

"Erm, no... and  _why?_ " Rukia asked. Orihime tapped her pointer fingers together innocently.

"Because they did it in a movie...?" She answered.

"What the hell kind of movies do you watch?" Karin muttered from the back. Coughing, Rukia brought the conversation back to her.

"I'll keep quiet about this on one condition: I investigate with you. I'm a part of this as much as the rest of you, and I can't just leave you to fight this on your own." Rukia said putting her hands on her hips.

Kisuke clapped and cried out happily.

"Another member for the Super Secret Educational Extracurricular Academic Student Club!" He cried. Orihime clapped too and gave Rukia a celebratory hug.

"Wait, that's not - " Rukia said.

"Meetings are every day after school from 3:00 to 5:30! New members get a free T-shirt with the logo a week after joining!" Kisuke jabbered on. Rukia tried to stop him as he whipped out a bunch of informational pamphlets and random club merch, but there was no stopping the madman.

"I DIDN'T AGREE TO THIS!" Rukia hollered.

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Birds were chirping merrily, but Ichigo was far from happy.

**_This sucks ass, Ichigo..._ **

_I thought I told you to shut up and try and sleep._ Ichigo shot back _._

**_And I thought I told you this was a shitty idea._ **

_Look, it's not like doing this will shut out my hollow powers - it just makes full hollowification off-limits. I can at least still summon my mask and use ceros and stuff._

**_..._ **

**_...Just don't do anything stupid._ **

Ichigo sighed.

It wasn't exactly his first choice to shove down his inner spirits like this so soon after reconnecting, but it was the only way he could think to stop his soul from careening back through the Empty to the Old Worlds. He had hoped to deal with the issue immediately, but that plan was thrown out the window when he ended up in what he assumed was the Soul Society instead of the World of the Living. Worse yet, his hollow transformation had timed out the moment he left Hueco Mundo, probably because he was having to squash down his reiatsu to hide himself. That left his soul in the state Shiro had been trying to heal it from...

He knew he was sick, but that was just the norm back in the Old Worlds. The signature cough he remembered Mari having turned out to be not so signature after all as literally everyone had violent lung infections and illnesses from the terrible air quality. Ichigo himself was no exception and ironically had the same cough that he had in his human body, though surprisingly a little better from the murder-healing Shiro had done.

 ** _You're welcome..._**  Shiro muttered.

 _What did I say about sleeping?_  Ichigo said.

Shiro continued to mutter something colorful, but Ichigo ignored him. He was too busy trying to calm his inner world enough that Shiro could slip into the same sleep Ossan was in. Eventually he felt the inner spirit fading into the background as a stuffy tight-feeling took over. It was remarkably similar to the feeling Ichigo'd had anytime he was upset in his human body...

Those bastards had done something to him to make his powers inaccessible to him in his human body, but he had no idea what. He searched deep within his soul to try and find it a couple times, but he'd been largely unsuccessful. He had gotten pretty close to the connection within his quincy powers, but that was a different matter he couldn't deal with here.

Leaning his head back against a tree, Ichigo let out a shaky sigh. He felt exactly as he normally did in his human body - achy, exhausted, and sick - but much deeper in a different sense. It felt almost like he was rotting, but being here in this lush and healthy world full of beautiful greenery and fresh air seemed to be easing it at the least. Ichigo thought back to what Shiro had said about Ichigo just being in the Old Worlds being enough to make him sick and realized he was more right than he wanted to admit. He'd never really thought about being in a place of death and decay that severe would affect him in the same way, but it made sense.

Jesus, he really needed to find a way out of here, or at least someplace safe to hide for now. Ichigo slowly got up with a grunt and looked around him again. He was in some kind of forest, but he could sense quite a few souls off in the distance, probably some sort of town. As much as he hated the idea of going to an area with people, he really couldn't think of anywhere else he could find some clothes to hide his appearance. He was fully aware of how striking he looked, wild orange hair going down past his shoulders and scarred body clearly in poor shape (he was only well-muscled when hollowfied since his body was already being altered by massive amounts of reiatsu).

Ichigo pushed off from the tree and began wandering in the general direction of the town, guard up for anything. Zangetsu hung loosely on his back as he walked, somewhat strange without his other blade at his side, but he would do.

Ichigo traveled like this with little incident for many hours, silently admiring the wildlife and lush plants. Everything felt so alive here, it was hard to believe this place was once the Soul Society he knew. It was kind of refreshing to see this beautiful world thriving in place of that barren landscape. Like a sort of do-over.

Crossing over a clear flowing stream, Ichigo paused and marveled at the water. He'd never seen water this clear in the Soul Society, and seeing it now made him realize just how thirsty he was. Ichigo bent down and put a tentative hand out to test the water out of habit (drink acid just once and you're guaranteed to be paranoid), flinching back when he felt how cold it was. He'd find this pleasant any other time, but now his heart began to thump and his breathe quickened.

Lightless rooms flashed through his head as he began to shake. He was shaking back then too, but not from fear anymore. He was freezing, so cold, so cold. _.. so cold...cold..._

A twig snapping to the right of Ichigo drew him out of his revery, whirling around to face the intruder, Zangetsu already in hand. It was... just a kid.

"Whoah! Is that real?! Are you a shinigami? Why are you so dirty looking? Did you just get back from a mission? What squad are you from?" He rapid-fire questioned with wide eyes.

Ichigo reluctantly forced himself to drop his aggressive stance. He was still a bit twitchy as the kid ran up to him, flinching back when the kid tried to reach out and touch Zangetsu. The kid took a step back and seemed to reevaluate Ichigo and his guarded expression as he scrunched up his nose.

"You're not an outlaw or something, are you? The Onmitsukido'll find you for sure..." He said. Ichigo frowned.

"Who are the Onimatsukedo?" Ichigo said, fumbling slightly around the unfamiliar name. It sounded a little similar to something he might have heard, but he still didn't know it. The kid just looked at him with wide eyes.

"You don't know who they are? But you've got a zanpakuto, which means you're a shinigami and besides, everyone knows who they are! That's like saying you don't know who Yamamoto is!" He exclaimed. Ichigo gave him a blank look.

"The eight noble clans? Central 46? The 13 captains? Nothing?" He asked.

Ichigo shook his head to all of them, though he did know that the Soul Society's military had once been governed by 13 captains or something. He didn't know their names or anything though. The kid gasped suddenly and pointed at Ichigo.

"Amnesia!" He cried.

"What?" Ichigo asked, confused. The kid began waving his arms around as he excited himself.

"Amnesia! You fought some super-crazy hollow or something that stole all your memories! That's why you're wandering around here all like 'eeeeh, I'm so wounded and tired, who am I ~, where am I ~'." The kid imitated in a cheesy version of Ichigo stumbling around with a weak expression. Ichigo growled.

"Hey! I wasn't walking around like that, and I remember who I am!" Ichigo exclaimed with a small bout of coughing somewhat ruining the end. He really didn't need this right now, he was sick enough as it was. The kid paused at that and thought for a moment before snapping his fingers.

"The hollow only took your memories of being a shinigami so you couldn't remember how to fight it or get home! I'm a genius!" He cried, throwing up his arms. Ichigo groaned and put his hands over his face. Misunderstanding Ichigo's annoyance for pain, the kid quickly ran over to stand in front of him.

"Don't worry! I have a super secret base out here in the woods with some stuff you could use. Then I can take you into town -" He said.

"No." Ichigo said in a gruff voice with a step back. The kid finally seemed to get that Ichigo wasn't exactly fond of people and stopped jumping around, childish features falling.

"No one's gonna hurt you, you know..." He said. Ichigo stiffened.

"That's not how this world works." Ichigo said in a cold voice. At least that's not how his world worked.

"Well I won't hurt you!" The kid huffed. Ichigo scoffed lightly.

"Like you could even if you wanted." Ichigo said in an oddly somber voice. The kid wouldn't know it, but Ichigo was pretty sure he'd been through too much to even hold a playfight without going overboard. The kid puffed up his chest, offended.

"I could! I found this super secret training place where shinigami go to train - and I've picked up some moves from watching them! I'm gonna become a shinigami and beat up bad guys and hollows! Like this!" He cried, jumping around and fending off imaginary enemies. Ichigo couldn't help but snort again at the ridiculous sound effects, but he could feel the ghost of a smile tugging at his usual weary expression.

"And what's your name, Oh Great Warrior?" Ichigo asked. The kid stopped his mock fight to strike a heroic pose.

"Ori Mishuira!" Ori cried. Ichigo couldn't help but feel a little guilty that Ori's goofy antics weren't shutting down his defenses. He wasn't a bad kid, he was just a little too curious for his own good.

"What's your name?" Ori asked. Ichigo paused. He hadn't thought about what name he would give, but he'd learned long ago to never give his real name. A thought struck Ichigo and he gave a small bow.

"Tensa." Ichigo said. Ori put a hand up to his chin and nodded.

"Single name, I like it. Makes you seem all mysterious-like. You wanna go to my secret base and eat something - my mom just made snacks!" Ori said hopefully.

Ichigo immediately began weighing his options. As nice as Ori seemed, he wasn't all that willing to go with him when there was a chance the kid would drag him into some situation where he actually had to interact with other people or go into town. Ichigo just wasn't a trusting person. On the other hand, Ori seemed to know a lot about the Soul Society that Ichigo didn't, and maybe he had something Ichigo could use to hide his hair? Some clothes for him would be good too, and he could always do with food...

"Only if we don't go into town." Ichigo said with a firm look. Ori cheered and immediately began telling him all about his base.

The two walked like that for a while, Ori telling Ichigo all about the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the World of the Living, and anything else he knew about with some rather animated explanations. Ichigo would just hum or grunt in response, gratefully taking the pauses Ori granted him whenever he broke out into a coughing fit. Ori would look at him in concern, but Ichigo would just wave it off. They conversed like that, Ichigo patiently absorbing the information. He ended up learning that the Soul Society was basically a massive country split up by the eight noble clans and ruled by the shinigami in a sort of soul bureaucracy. Judiciary duties were taken care of almost exclusively by an organization called Central 46, though there were plenty of checks and balances to keep too much power from being put in their branch. Ori said it was a great honor to be elected as one of the many wise men or judges, and most members had to train their entire life in the matters of legislation, judiciary authority, civil duties, as well as having extensive knowledge of Soul Society from elite life to lower rukongai slums.

This sounded vastly different to the stuffy old aristocrats Ichigo had heard once ruled over Soul Society in the Old Worlds. He'd never met them or had experience with them, but from the way Mari and other shinigami from the old government described things, it was best that the military branch took over.

That was the part Ori ended up talking about the most, the military organization called the Gotei 13. He told Ichigo about so many captains and lieutenants that ichigo just ended up forgetting all their names. He did however, make a point of trying to remember the names of a separate squad that apparently wasn't considered apart of the Gotei 13. Ori was a little spotty on just how that squad had come to be, but he did know that they were made up of former captains and lieutenants who had been involved in a serious scandal a while ago. Like Ichigo, they weren't just shinigami. They had become special shinigami-hollow souls called Vizards after a terrible accident, but were mistakenly blamed for it and exiled. Several captains including a fellow exile fought the case and revealed that the Vizards were innocent, having been experimented on without their knowledge or consent.

After that, positions were shuffled around and the Vizards were allowed to live in the World of the Living as a separate entity so long as they didn't mess with anything Gotei. Ichigo found it extremely suspicious that no one ever found the person responsible for the experiments but continued to go on with everything with no more investigation. It was also pretty shady that the Vizards had been exiled so quickly in the first place, but those were just his feelings.

What ended up interesting Ichigo the most was what Ori had to say about the Quincy. Ichigo had of course heard of the Quincy academies, but he'd never looked into it because he'd spent so long thinking he was crazy. At the time he thought he's just made up everything based on things from the real world, just like how every lie held a kernel of truth. Now that he'd been forced to come to terms with everything being real again, he had so many questions about the quincies right under his nose.

Did he know any quincies? Did they know about him? Why were there significantly more quincies here than there were in the Old Worlds? Why were these quincies so different from the ones serving The Father? How could they exist without The Father?

But there were no answers when he was stuck in this world, and he couldn't very well straight up ask them or the shinigami. Come to think of it, what was he going to do? He didn't have anywhere to go, and things had actually gotten much worse for him. He didn't have a human life anymore and now he was being hunted down by probably everyone as well as still connected to the problems in the Old Worlds.

Is that what he would do? Go back to the Old Worlds and continue the fight? If he went back there, he'd fight through unimaginable horrors yet again. If he lost, he'd die. If he won, he'd die. But he knew what would happen if he didn't do something... and there was still very much the part of him from the bridge...

"We're here!" Ori cried, breaking through Ichigo's dark thoughts.

"Welcome to Mishuira Base!" Ori said with a flourish.

"Mishuira Base" was not the dinky little stick fort Ichigo had expected, but a full-on chunk of ancient Japanese mansion peacefully rotting away under creeping vines and plants. Two stories high, the mansion was sticking diagonally out of the ground as if it had been ripped off from the original mansion and just dumped here. Ichigo could clearly see the parts of it where it had been ripped away from the original building, splintered wood blending with the ground as centuries of growing nature took over. Even though it only looked like there were 3 or four rooms in total, it was impressive nonetheless.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ori said with an elbow aimed at Ichigo.

Flinching away before he could be touched, Ichigo continued to stare. This building reminded him of the ones he'd seen in the Old Worlds, and the closer he got to it, the more eerie it became. Hell, he could see disintegrating San Teikoku banners hanging inside like a beacon of what this place once was. How in the world did this get here?

"How did you find this?" Ichigo asked, turning to Ori. Ori scratched his head.

"Eh, I didn't really find it. My sister was actually the one who discovered this place and set up base, but she lets me use it all the time. She'll be here in the afternoon to walk me home, so you can ask her about it then. Ooh! I totally forgot but there's something I've  _got_  to show you!" Ori exclaimed, hopping towards the base excitedly.

Apprehensively following Ori inside, Ichigo looked all around him. Even though this place was from a time of death and pain, being here was nothing like the experiences he had in the Old Worlds. Despite it's degraded state, it wasn't creepy or unnerving to him at all like he would expect from being confronted with something from his past, but actually kind of cheery. Children's toys and decorations were neatly splayed around the room, bright colors matching the different blankets and material draped everywhere to cover up old tables and furniture. Old clay tiles clearly from other buildings were used to patch up any holes or damage making the rooms feel slightly more secure. Ichigo also noticed several bags of candy and snacks lying around. Children's drawings were pinned up around, the majority depicting what Ichigo guessed was Ori as a shinigami running around with a sword fighting hollows.

"Uh, can you wait here while I go get it?" Ori asked. Ichigo nodded and Ori disappeared into one of the rooms next door.

_Crazy how different this place has become with time... It's actually kind of comforting to see that something from the Old Worlds could...heal._

It wasn't long before Ori returned toting several items under his arms, grinning and huffing like he'd had quite the search.

"Turns out this place is a little messier than I thought..." Ori explained.

"Oh! I also brought the snacks my mom made for me and my sister yesterday - they shouldn't be stale though." Ori said, taking out a little bag from under his arm and holding it out to Ichigo.

"O-oh, uh thanks." Ichigo said, taking the bag and opening it up.

Inside were about a dozen or so little pastries that Ichigo couldn't quite recall the name of. They reminded him a lot of the pastries and goodies he was used to seeing in the bakery across from the elementary school when he was younger. They had always looked so good, but he knew they weren't for him, so he didn't bother trying to imagine what they tasted like once he was older.

"The ones with red jam are strawberry, but I still haven't figured out what the purple ones are. They're still good though." Ori said, beckoning for Ichigo to try one when he still didn't reach into the bag. It wasn't that Ichigo wasn't hungry, it's just that he wasn't really used to people giving him things... and when they did it usually made him anxious and hesitant to accept that thing for some reason.

Cautiously popping one of the strawberry pastries into his mouth, Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Mmmmf, these are really good!" Ichigo said around a mouthful of treat. Ori grinned.

"My mom's a great baker. She actually has a shop where people can buy her stuff, but mostly nobles and shinigami buy them since most people don't want to spend money on something they don't really need." Ori said.

Ichigo's stomach rumbled loudly as he barely stopped himself from scarfing the entire bag. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he started eating, but he'd taught himself how to spread food out to make it last longer a while ago and made sure to eat only a few. Not surprisingly, it turned out Ichigo could only eat a few. He wasn't used to getting food regularly, and for some reason he had this thing about eating, it tended to make him extremely nauseous and sometimes even panic when he had to eat. Some days it was easier to eat than others, but the problem today was that Ichigo had eaten an entire bag of chips on Friday plus the clearance rice bowl, practically a feast. His stomach wasn't used to taking in food this frequently (he did still have his hollow kills), nor of this quality. Greasy expired food was usually his only option, so this felt oddly rich and filling to him. He wanted to eat more, but his stomach was already uncomfortably full and pricking at his unpredictable panic of having to eat. Compromising, Ichigo decided he'd eat until he got just a  _touch_  sick, trying not to inhale the food out of politeness. Watching his struggle, Ori suddenly smacked his head.

"I'm such an idiot! I totally forgot, shinigami need to eat food and  _you're_  a shinigami! You must be straving - I've got some more food you can have!" Ori exclaimed, running off before Ichigo could protest (out of politeness only).

Ori returned shortly with an arm full of various snacks and candies, insisting Ichigo have them all. Mouth watering, Ichigo thanked him profusely and accepted the snacks. While he was eating and subtly tucking away the snacks (he was a miser out of necessity), Ori plopped down on an old seat mat and motioned for Ichigo to take a seat as well. Sitting down, Ichigo watched curiously as Ori laid out the items he'd brought with him. All but one looked like ordinary carved children's toys, and this one Ichigo recognized.

"My sister made these toys for me out of old chunks of wood she found - aren't they cool? She does lots of wood carving, but she started making these toys because of this cool old relic thingy we found while we were cleaning this place up. She really liked the designs on it, said they were 'hella inspiring.' My sister's so awesome!" Ori said, chattering away about how cool his older sister was and all the things she taught him.

But Ichigo wasn't listening. He was too busy staring at the "cool old relic thingy" made of intricately carved wood. It was a whistle shaped like a turtle, the mouth being the turtle's head. The holes were all along the turtle's shell breaking up the tiny scenes carved into it, winged figures waging war against each other and many other figures in a story oh so familiar to Ichigo. He knew what this was, and he again had no idea how this had ended up here. Ichigo was so busy staring at the whistle that he didn't hear Ori calling his "name" at first.

"Tensa? Are you all right" Ori asked. Ichigo shook himself out of his memories and gave a slight nod.

"...Yeah, I've just seen this before. You haven't ever used before, have you?" Ichigo asked suddenly, flicking his eyes up to scrutinize Ori. Ori just blinked before giving him an excited look.

"No, why - is it a super special shinigami whistle? Ooh - a special whistle used to signal attacks! War whistle!" Ori exclaimed, reaching forward to pick up the whistle.

"Don't!" Ichigo cried, snatching the whistle away before Ori could blow on it. Ori jumped, scared by Ichigo's sudden lashing out.

"This whistle isn't any of the things you said it was, but it's not a toy! You could really hurt yourself using this!" Ichigo snapped, a littler louder than he meant to be. Ori looked at Ichigo with big eyes, quiet from Ichigo's outburst. Realizing that he'd scared Ori, Ichigo sighed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you Ori... I'm not overreacting though, I'm serious about this whistle being able to hurt you. It may look like an ordinary children's toy, but this whistle is actually a type of weapon." Ichigo said, gentler this time.

"A weapon? How could it hurt me though...?" Ori asked, inspecting the whistle from afar.

"This whistle has a special material inside of it, the polar opposite to Sekki sekki stone. While Sekki sekki stone repels reishi, this material inside absorbs it like a big sponge. When someone uses the whistle, it absorbs that person's reishi and reiatsu. It uses this absorbed energy to change the sound the whistle with a release of this energy to produce a very special type of frequency only heard by hollows. Anything hollow, hollows themselves, vizards, arrancars, and hybrids are affected by the sound negatively. It physically disrupts the reishi pattern in these beings just enough to hurt and distract." Ichigo explained. Ori listened to it all, fascinated.

"The problem is, only people with a sufficient amount of reiatsu and or reishi can use it. The whistle will take reishi first and foremost, but it can be substituted with reiatsu. This is why shinigami and certain souls can use it, though it won't be nearly as effective as somebody using reishi. Quincies are the ones who use these whistles the most because they can gather reishi from their surroundings and use that instead. But you're an ordinary soul, you don't have any extra reishi or reiatsu to give the whistle. If you used it, it would suck up all of your reishi and kill you in the process." Ichigo said.

"Holy crap... not War Whistle, Death Whistle!" Ori exclaimed, staring at the whistle with a new level of wariness.

"How come I've never heard of this before? Not even my sister knows about this, and she knows everything!" Ori exclaimed. Ichigo scratched his head. He couldn't very well tell Ori that this whistle was used in a war from a completely different world, but he had to say something.

"Well, that's because... Quincies only used it a long, long time ago before they realized they had to work together with the arrancars... and all that. These whistles were specifically made to hurt arrancars and other hollow beings." Ichigo said. It was a little rough, but Ori seemed to be buying it.

"Yeah, that makes sense... After all, my sister says the three races and worlds can never go to war." Ori said thoughtfully.

_What? That's like, the exact opposite of what the Old Worlds were like... then again that might be why..._

"Why not, what would happen?" Ichigo asked. He was curious as to why this world had this particular rule and if Ori knew why.

"Right! I forgot that you don't remember that stuff. See, there's this place in this really weird realm inside the Soul Society called the Royal Realm. I heard there's like, this massive palace and city in there, but the important stuff is what's inside the palace. A really really,  _really_  long time ago, like before the Gotei 13 long ago, somebody found the Royal Realm and this entire mural-thingy. They had a whole bunch of scientists and smart people from all three worlds look at it, and they figured out that half of it was a warning, and the other half was a whole bunch of rules. The warning said that if the three different races didn't work together and do their sacred duties, the world would lose balance and die. I forget all the rules of the second half, but I do remember some stuff." Ori said.

"Shinigami must live in the Soul Society and keep the cycle of rebirth working, quincies must live in the World of the Living and execute bad people from the cycle of rebirth, and arrancars must live in Hueco Mundo and take care of Hell. I'm pretty sure hollows are also supposed to keep the cycle of death and birth going by consuming souls, but lots of people don't like that." Ori said with a shrug.

"I can see why, but I suppose it's a necessary evil to keep the world in balance..." Ichigo said. Ori looked up suddenly.

"Wait, if you had your memory about shinigami stolen, how did you know about the whistle?" Ori asked. Ichigo began to sweat.

"Uh..." Ichigo said. Ori smacked his head.

"Because it's not about shinigami - quincies made the whistle!" Ori said, adding on a "duh" at the end. Ichigo let out a breath. Thank god this kid was lowkey stupid.

After that, the two began to talk about less serious things while they waited for Ori's sister to show up. Apparently she was actually well on her way to becoming academy material for the shinigami from practicing at home and sneaking out to the secret training grounds they found. Ichigo found out that was why Ori wanted to be a shinigami, because his sister was going to be one and he looked up to her a great deal. Eventually they turned back to Ichigo, and he found himself having to fend off way too many personal questions.

"Okay, you don't have to say anything about your father and the complex relationship you have with a missing father figure, but can you at least say his name...?" Ori asked.

"What the hell Ori?! You sound like a psychology textbook - and I never said anything about a missing father!" Ichigo spluttered, shock spurring on another coughing fit. Ori put a hand over his heart sagely.

"But your eyes told me everything." He said in a wistful voice. Ichigo choked again.

"Where do you even get this stuff?!" Ichigo asked once he recovered.

"From the culture night our district has. Every month each district gathers in the largest town's plaza and watches a whole bunch of movies and stuff from the World of the Living on this moving picture screen - it's so cool! My favorite's are the Mexican soap operas, though the Cowboy movies are pretty cool." Ori said. That certainly explained it.

"Why do you call it culture night?" Ichigo asked. It sounded more like a cinema festival.

"Because each night we watch stuff from a different culture. What's cool is that we don't have to use subtitles since everyone has the gift of tongues. You should come to one some time, the Shinigami Women's Association was the one to start the whole thing and occasionally stop by to watch with us. It's really fun, sometimes we even have quincies or arrancars!" Ori said excitedly, bouncing up and down a little.

"Er, I don't know about that..." Ichigo said. He wasn't planning on staying in the Soul Society, or even this world really. Ori deflated a little before perking up again.

"Right, you'll be busy doing shinigami stuff! Hey, when you get back to the shinigami, so you think you could put in a good word for my sister? I know she's really good, but I still worry that they might not think she's good enough..." Ori said, little brows scrunched in concern.

Now Ichigo felt really bad. He might not be outright lying to Ori, but he wasn't exactly telling him the truth either. Ori trusted him, and that just wasn't fair. He knew it was probably a bad idea telling Ori that he wasn't who he thought he was, but it didn't seem right to keep this up.

"Listen, Ori. There's something I need to tell you... but only because you've been so nice to me and deserve to know. I'm actually -" Ichigo said.

"A STRANGER!" Someone screeched.

Ichigo just managed to dodge a blow aimed at his head out of reflex.

"Wait, Nara! It's okay, he's with me!" Ori cried, jumping up as Ichigo shot into the next room to avoid being hit.

"No stranger danger, no stranger danger!" Ori yelled, clinging to his sister's leg.

"What? Okay, then who is he?!" Nara asked, blunt wooden sword resting impatiently on her shoulder.

"He's a friend - a shinigami! I found him wandering around the forest all confused 'cause some hollow stole his memories of being a shinigami so he couldn't fight or get home! Please, he's got abandonment issues!" Ori wailed.

"I do not!" Ichigo exclaimed from the other room, heart racing.

"Stop saying that I've got all these issues!" Ichigo cried in frustration. It was bad enough that his heart felt like it was about to explode and he was twitching to fight or run, but now the kid had to go spreading all these lies?!

"I think he's in denial." Ori whispered to Nara.

"I heard that!" Ichigo yelled. Nara sighed.

"Alright, I guess I believe you since you do look like somebody whooped your ass. Come out already - I promise not to kill you!" Nara called.

"Wow, thanks." Ichigo snorted, tentatively coming back into the room. As promised, Nara kept her sword on her shoulder.

So this was Ori's older sister... Definitely as fierce-looking as Ori had described her. She had the same thick black hair and freckled olive skin as Ori, making the two unmistakable siblings.

"So, got dragged here by little Ori-o here, huh?" Nara asked. Ori pouted, but didn't deny it.

"Yeah, but he's pretty nice, so I don't mind." Ichigo said. Ori beamed.

"I'm Nara, what's your name, mister hobo?" Nara asked. Ichigo crossed his arms, but hesitated. He couldn't very well tell the truth now, Nara had more sense than her brother and would likely turn him in.

"Tensa." Ichigo said.

"Single name, I like it. Makes you seem all mysterious-like." Nara said with a nod. Ori threw his hands out.

"I know, right? He's got the coolest sword too!" Ori said. Nara perked up a little at that, looking all over Ichigo to try and find it. Sighing, Ichigo figured it wouldn't be too harmful to show them Zangetsu. He knew they wouldn't leave him alone until he showed them it.

"I'll show you my zanpakuto, but you have to promise not to touch him. He gets all upset when anybody but me wields him, and right now I need him to sleep." Ichigo said.

"Cross the stars and eat a pie, our promise is not a lie." Nara and Ori said together.

"That's not - that's, oh never mind." Ichigo said, pulling Zangetsu off his back to hold lightly thunk the tip into the floor. The two immediately pressed up as close as they could without touching it.

"Woah!" Nara and Ori chorused. Nara turned to Ori.

"I thought you already saw his sword?" She asked. Ori shrugged.

"Still cool." He said.

"Wait, shouldn't your sword be a katana or something?" Nara asked, flicking her eyes up to Ichigo. Ichigo scratched the back of his head, playing dumb.

"It should? My zanpakuto only told me what he was and that he needed to sleep..." Ichigo said. Nara made an "oh" face.

"Guess you really did have your memory stolen if you don't even know how asuachi and shikai work. Maybe that's why your zanpakuto needed to sleep - you're still in shikai. That takes a lot out of a shinigami to keep that up." Nara said. Ichigo was impressed. She really seemed to know her stuff.

"Maybe. I don't think there's much I can do about it now." Ichigo said with a shrug. Ori and Nara stood up, letting Ichigo put Zangetsu back onto his back.

"We need to get you to one of the local shinigami." Nara said. Ichigo stiffened and Ori poked Nara.

"Tensa doesn't really like being around other people... He doesn't even want to go into town." Ori said. Nara frowned.

"It doesn't matter if you don't like it, you're obviously a mess. You need a shinigami's help - how else are you going to get your memory back?" Nara said. Shit, Nara brought up a really good point. But his heart raced at the idea of going into town and he felt his familiar anxiousness. He was going to have to convince her to either not take him, or let him go it alone.

"I can't." Ichigo blurted. Nara stared at him skeptically, waiting for him to continue.

"...I need to let my zanpakuto sleep for a day. He told me before he went to sleep that it would take a day to get my memory back, and that I needed to stay in this forest because the hollow was still out there. If I leave, there's a chance it'll escape before I regain my memory, and I'm the only one who remembers how to fight it. I tried to ask my zanpakuto how to do that without having my memory, but he was too tired. He fell asleep before I could get any answers." Ichigo said.

"The hollow's still there? Why didn't you tell me?" Ori asked, a little hurt. Ichigo rubbed his arm, mock guilt more sincere than he wanted to admit.

"I didn't want you to get scared and try to run off by yourself. That's why I came here with you, to protect you. Hollows would attack a lone soul like you without hesitation, but if a shinigami was with you, they'd stay away. Hollows know not to mess with shinigami by now." Ichigo said. Ori's eyes widened.

"Is that what you were trying to tell me before Nara attacked you?" Ori asked. That was a good excuse... Ichigo nodded.

"I wanted to tell you before your sister came here so there'd only be one soul I needed to protect instead of two, but that didn't happen..." Ichigo said.

"So we're in danger?!" Nara exclaimed, wooden sword snapping down to a ready stance. Ichigo quickly waved his hands.

"No, no. I'm with you, so you two should be fine. I'd never let anything happen to you." Ichigo said, locking eyes with each of them to emphasize his claim.

He  _was_  serious, though. Even though there wasn't really a hollow out there, he would protect these two with everything he had. That's just who he was, and Shiro would just have to deal with his less than self-preserving philosophy once he inevitably found out.

"Which is why I'm taking you two back to town. I'll drop you off by the tree line and make sure you make it home, but then I'll go back into the forest and wait for the hollow." Ichigo said. Ori immediately began to pout.

"But why can't we stay here with you - you said we're safe here! We can have a sleepover and -" Ori said.

"No. You might be safe with me, but I don't want to take any chances. It's easy for things to go wrong in a battle." Ichigo said. Nara sighed and put a hand on Ori's shoulder.

"Sorry Ori-o, but he's right... We shouldn't tempt fate. Besides, it's already getting dark out. Do you really want to stay in  _this_  forest at night?" Nara asked, leaning in a little. Ori immediately clamped his mouth shut. Ichigo looked between the two.

"While I agree with you, what's so bad about  _this_  forest?" Ichigo asked. Nara leaned in conspiratorially, drawing Ori in with her like she was going to tell a scary story.

"Oh, nothing's wrong... during the day. At night, strange things begin to happen around here, odd noises, screaming, animals randomly showing up dead in the morning right by the tree line. Local shinigami have tried for years to figure out just what goes on in this forest at night, but any that try and stay the night end up disappearing. Since the beginning of our town, people who go into the forest have always disappeared, but only at night. People say they can see those who have died calling out to their loved ones from just beyond the trees, trying to lure in more victims. Go in during the day and you're perfectly fine, but at night, these shady trees may be the last thing you see..." Nara whispered. Ori did his best not to look scared, but he wasn't doing a very good job.

"That stuff is only part true - and mom says to stop talking about that! You're just spreading rumors and scaring people!" Ori exclaimed.

"Then why does mom also tell us to never  _ever_  stay here past dark?" Nara countered. Ori huffed, but he looked doubtful.

"Some people say it's the soul of a lost serial killer, others a hollow with special powers, and others still say that it's an abomination of sin - a hybrid!" Nara cried, one hand smacking Ori's back from behind. Ori started and shrieked.

"Stop that! That's not funny!" Ori cried, slapping Nara on the arm as she laughed maniacally. Something twisted in Ichigo at the way they acted about hybrids. He knew there was prejudice about them, but it wasn't like they were all bad... he himself was a hybrid and so were the vizards, technically.

"Why would a hybrid be taking people? You know arrancars are technically hybrids because they remove their masks to gain shinigami-like powers." Ichigo said with a frown. Nara stopped teasing Ori and looked at him.

"No they're not. Arrancars are just the next stage of hollow evolution. Besides, most hybrids aren't exactly... whole." Nara said, looking a little uncomfortable. Ichigo frowned. He'd never heard of any other hybrids quite like him before.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked. Nara and Ori shared a look.

"Well... a long time ago there was a group of people who wanted to know if they could make a hybrid between the different races. The only problem is, making hybrids is forbidden for a reason. They illegally began experimenting on souls to try and make complete hybrids, but they never quite made it. All the creatures they made were either way too unstable physically, or mentally and ended up dying within months. One of them managed to break loose once and killed an entire town in a single night. Shinigami managed to kill the creature, but it was too late for the people of the town. They tried and executed the group of scientists, but they think there were more than just the people in the Soul Society. No one's ever found them, so everybody just assumes they stopped." Nara said.

"I see... That would put people off about hybrids, but it's not like they asked to be born or made... You can't exactly expect them to be friendly and civilized when from their very birth they're treated like animals and experiments." Ichigo said. He'd had a bit of personal experience with this, but he would say this without as well. The circumstances just weren't... fair.

"Inhumanity as a result of early behavioral molding lacking in empathy." Ori said sagely, nodding slowly.

"Deep." Nara said. Ichigo snorted. These two were definitely siblings.

"Okay, well if you two are quite done, we should get going. Monster or not, it's pretty much dark out now and I don't want to walk through a strange forest at night." Ichigo said. Panic flashed onto Ori's face.

"It's dark already!? But we just got here!" Oir squeaked, looking outside one of the uncovered windows.

"We were here for a long time… and we have been talking for a while since Nara came to walk you home." Ichigo said. Nara put a hand on Ori's shoulder.

"I'm sure it'll be fine - we have Hobo Man to protect us!" Nara exclaimed.

"You can just call me by my name, stinkin' twerp… Come on, let's get going." Ichigo grumbled, ushering the two to pack up their stuff.

It wasn't long before the two were ready, Nara selectively packing bags while Ori frantically shoved everything within reach into a pack. Confirming they were both ready, Ichigo led the siblings out into the decidedly dark forest (sorry Ori).

Ichigo could definitely see why Nara's urban legend was so popular, this forest did have a completely different feel to it at night. Dark and foreboding, trees stretched out before them creaking and cracking gently in the cool night breeze as Nara and Ori led the way to town. Ichigo tried to see the stars out through the trees, but the foliage was too thick for him to see the sky. Barely any light managed to penetrate the dense trees.

For the most part their walk was fine, but the further they went, the darker it got and the more unsettling the noises of the night became. Twigs snapping, leaves rustling and the random unearthly call of some critter put them all on edge, jumping and starting at every noise. It certainly felt sinister here, but Ichigo tried his best to ignore it. It was pretty common after all for him to feel anxious and paranoid like this even when nothing was happening or it was completely peaceful. But still, this felt... different. An odd feeling he couldn't quite reach, but felt lurking at the back of his head. His instincts were making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, so whether or not he was just being paranoid, he would at least be prepared. Ori and Nara were too busy trying to follow the path to notice Ichigo drawing Zangetsu from his back.

After Ori began stumbling increasingly and making small scared noises, Ichigo jogged forward to walk closer with him. Ori immediately went for Ichigo's hand making him flinch, but this time he didn't move away from Ori.

"It's alright Ori, it's just the forest making noises." Ichigo whispered, squeezing Ori's hand in a comforting gesture. Ori held on tighter.

"I know, but… it feels like something's watching me." Ori whispered back. Ichigo swallowed. He'd hoped he was the only one feeling that way.

"I'm sure it's just your imagination." Ichigo lied.

He really hoped he was right, but something just didn't feel right no matter how little evidence he had. On reflex, he'd had his senses cast out for any other soul since the beginning of their walk, but he felt nothing. Maybe he just wasn't casting his senses out far enough... Or maybe he was still too unskilled to feel anything... He  _was_  notoriously bad at sensing other souls without soul ribbons. Should he try and pull out some ribbons now, see if there really was something they should be worried about? Another creak behind Ichigo nearly made him jump, but he resisted for Ori's sake. He was good at pretending to be fine, so all he had to do was just pretend a little more tonight.

"Do you see Nara? I can't see that far up ahead." Ori said.

Ichigo could feel him straining against his hand. Looking ahead, Ichigo squinted and realized he couldn't quite see her either. Ichigo tried to feel her reiatsu, but realized with a jolt she was way farther up ahead than she was supposed to be.

"Nara? Nara!" Ichigo called. His voice cut through the forest unnaturally against the sounds of the night, but no response came. Ichigo could feel Ori shaking.

"I'm sure she just ran ahead to go see if we're close - she'll hear us when we're closer." Ichigo said. Scooping Ori up with his free hand, Ichigo sat him on his hip and began jogging forward. Ori huddled in closer to Ichigo, but his shaking didn't settle.

"Nara! Nara!" Ichigo yelled as they got closer to where she was supposed to be. Ori piped up from his hold on Ichigo.

"If you're trying to scare us, it's not funny!" He yelled. Ichigo could hear the fear in Ori's voice, and he was beginning to feel the same way.

"NARA!" Ichigo bellowed, slowing down.

This was where she was supposed to be, and he could feel her reiatsu, but he didn't see her anywhere. Turning in circles, Ichigo searched deep into the foliage beside the path, but again, he didn't find her.

"Nara!" Ori screamed, but they were met with only the sounds of the forest.

_Shit._

They continued to call for Nara, tracing back and going forward, but there was no sign of her. Coming back to the spot where Nara was supposed to be, Ichigo held Ori to him, trying his best to comfort the sobbing boy.

"It's gonna be okay Ori, she's got to be around here somewhere. I'm gonna try something to find her, so don't be scared, okay?" Ichigo said, pulling Ori back to look him in the eyes.

"O-okay." Ori said between sobs.

Setting Ori down, Ichigo straightened his back and called on his natural mode of sensing souls. He didn't even have to close his eyes or use jinzen to summon spirit ribbons anymore, and it was only a matter of seconds before ribbons began blossoming around him. Ori's eyes widened as he looked all around at the glowing ribbons floating gently in the breeze. Half-closing his eyes in concentration, Ichigo focused on Nara and held his hands out into the ribbons to feel. Brushing up against one, Ichigo saw a flash of Nara's face. Bringing the pale luminescent ribbon to him, Ichigo tugged on the ribbon, dismissing all the others.

Ichigo followed the ribbon along the path, Ori trailing close behind, but he wasn't even a few feet forward before the ribbon led directly up. Following the ribbon with his eyes, Ichigo looked straight up, up into the trees...

Ori screamed when they saw Nara hanging high above them from a branch, unmoving and illuminated by the spirit ribbon. Ichigo grabbed Ori and held him close to his body so he wouldn't see the bood dripping from Nara's body. He could feel that she was still alive, but she was seriously wounded. She was too high up to have climbed on her own, so Ichigo kept Zangetsu at the ready, raking his eyes over every shadow for a possible aggressor. Ichigo was more than used to having to see in the dark and actually had pretty good night vision, but this was ridiculous. He could barely see five feet in front of him.

"It's okay Ori, Nara's wounded, but she's still alive. I need you to stay here while I get her." Ichigo said. Ori just sobbed harder, but Ichigo would have to take that as agreement.

Ichigo left Ori and circled the tree to find the best way to get to Nara, eyes locked on her limp figure. He went to jump up and get her, but suddenly her body was dragged away by something in the trees. Ori screamed again and Ichigo stumbled back. The anxious watched feeling Ichigo had had since the beginning of their walk tripled. Something else was here. Whirling around to Ori, Ichigo grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Get help! Run as fast as you can to town and get help - I'm going after Nara!" Ichigo said in a rush.

"But -" Ori said.

"GET HELP!" Ichigo yelled, shoving Ori back onto the path. Sobbing, Ori took off and Ichigo shot up into the trees to chase down Nara and her kidnapper.

* * *

 **Schutzstaffel**  - protective echelon

 **Muko**  - void

 **Lichtreich**  - light empire

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 ........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the feedback! I finally ended up changing the summary, though I still think it has its issues. I just hope it isn't too confusing. I also finally found out how to put images in my story in AO3 (though not in the way I had been planning on doing) which is why this chapter is a little late again.


	10. Chapter 9: The Thanks I Get

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's hella long, but hopefully that's a good thing. Thank you all so much for the feedback!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Speech/Thoughts_

**Chapter 9: The Thanks I Get**

-x-

**Ori Mishuira**

Ori's heartbeat pounded in his ears as he ran, little legs pumping faster than he'd ever ran before. Ragged sobs interrupted his panicked huffing and puffing as he flew across the slightly overgrown path. It didn't matter how many times he tripped or stumbled over roots and rocks in the blinding darkness, Ori refused to slow down. Fear led his swift flight through his once friendly childhood play-place, branches scratching at his face and arms.

Ori took a sharp turn in the path with a skid, not stopping to look where he was going. Something inhuman screamed from where Ori had left Ichigo, piercing the night.

_Almost there..._

_Almost there..._

He knew this forest like the back of his hand, even at night. All he had to do was look for the red rock, take a left, turn right at the brook, take another left at the beehive and he'd make it out of the forest. Ori strained to see the landmarks he was looking for, a terrifying thought entering his head. What if he missed them? What if it was too dark and he took a wrong turn or went too far?

He had little time to think about that anymore as another scream broke the night. It didn't matter if it was too dark, he  _had_  to make it into town. Red rock, brook, and beehive eventually flew by and Ori finally made it out of the trees with a stumble. He could see where he was now that he had the moon shining bright above him casting the high grass between him and his town in an eerie light. He barely noticed the scrapes on his knees and elbows from his hasty flight, nor the many cuts and scratches as burst into the empty town. Most everybody was asleep, but there had to be a few star-gazers out that Ori could talk to.

"Ori!" Someone called from behind him. Ori was roughly yanked backwards by a familiar grip.

"Ori Mishuira, where in the god's green world have you been?! Where's your sister? I told you to never ever EVER stay in the forest past dark - I was about to send a shinigami in after you!" Ori's mother cried.

Indeed, a red haired man with wild tattoos clad in black shihakusho robes was being towed along by Ori's mother with a rather exhausted expression. Upon being mentioned, the shinigami yanked his sleeve away from the distraught woman to turn in front of her.

"I already told you to go to your local shinigmai for matters of  _curfew breach_ , I'm here on official shinigami busi - " He never got to finish his complaint as Ori grabbed onto his robes.

"You have to help me! Something took my sister in the woods - you have to hurry or it's going to kill her!" Ori exclaimed, panic making his words run together slightly. The shinigami knelt down and immediately reevaluated Ori's distraught state, taking in his scrapes and cuts.

"Woah, just hold on kid. Something took your sister?" He asked. Ori's mother made a choking noise.

"YES" Ori emphasized, pulling desperately on the shinigami's robes "We don't have time to talk, it's gonna kill her! Please we have to go NOW!" Ori begged, sobbing.

"Look, just tell me where to go and I'll find her!" The shinigami said, taking Ori by his shoulders.

"No you don't understand, you can't get to her unless you know which path to take! I know where to go - just follow me!" Ori cried, wriggling out of the shinigami's grip to pelt back towards the woods.

"Ori!" Ori's mother called out behind him, but he was already breaking out of the streets.

"Hey!" The shinigami yelled, much closer.

"Kid, stop!" He yelled, catching up to Ori with a flash and grabbing him.

"No! You won't know where to go I have to -" Ori screamed, but the shinigami interrupted him.

"I know, I know! But it's faster if I carry you - just point out where to go!" He said, pulling Ori up onto his back.

"That way!" Ori cried, pointing to one of the paths. The shinigami took off in a blur, definitely faster than Ori.

"Oy, your name's Ori, right?" He called out over the rushing wind.

"Yeah!" Ori responded.

"My names Renji. We're gonna get your sister back, I promise!" He cried. Ori heard the resolve in his voice and was reminded of Tensa. He trusted them both, but he just hoped they were fast enough.

"I believe you, just hurry!" He cried.

"Will do!" Renji growled.

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

"Nara!" Ichigo screamed. He could just see her face bobbing in and out of view, but whatever was dragging her through the trees was too fast for him to see her fully. He just hoped she was still intact...

An inhuman scream pierced the air and Ichigo immediately recognized it as hollow. He'd suspected that's what had taken Nara, but for some reason he still couldn't sense it's reiatsu. It was obviously a hollow with special abilities, but even so it felt like Ichigo should have been able to prevent this. Nara had  _literally_  told him there was something hunting people int the forest at night and he'd just waltzed out with two vulnerable children.

Now he was chasing after a cunning hunter probably leading him into some sort of trap. Ichigo knew he was faster than this hollow even with his limbs burning from the strain of being so active after yet another fight, but he hadn't figured out how to use shunpo or sonido without releasing even just a small part of his reiatsu. He'd been sure he could catch up without, but it seemed this hollow was advanced enough to use its own sonido. How such a powerful hollow had managed to hide in the Soul Society for so long was beyond Ichigo, but he had a feeling it had to do with some sort of cloaking ability.

Growling, Ichigo pushed himself to move faster, leaping over branches and pushing off against trees to try and catch up in a blur. He barely noticed the small zings of pain as he moved, nor how spastic his breathing had become. He actually felt surprisingly good compared to how he normally was, but that might just be because he was used to his normal level of chronic pain. If Shiro hadn't still been sleeping, he would have actually been pretty impressed with Ichigo's speed and agility. He'd also probably scream at Ichigo for never telling him about how movement pained him.

Launching himself over a small ravine, Ichigo finally caught sight of the hollow holding an unconscious Nara hostage. One of it's long black limbs covered in the same dark shaggy hair as the rest of it's body held Nara over it's back as it turned it's pale white mask to sneer at Ichigo. Snarling back, Ichigo shot out to try and grab it, but it flashed away in a buzz of sonido.

"Come back here you coward!" Ichigo yelled. He'd seen now that it was intelligent, so maybe he could egg it on into stopping to fight him.

Howling laughter echoed through the trees as Ichigo threw himself from tree to tree. He caught sight of it again when the two reached a small clearing.

"Why waste a fight with a weakling like you when I have this tasty morsel?" It called mockingly.

Shit, so it wasn't hotheaded like Ichigo had hoped. Worse yet was that the same lack of signature that normally protected him was now preventing him from getting to that bastard. But he'd made a promise to protect Nara and Ori, and he'd be damned if he didn't pull out  _all_  the stops he had left to do so.

"Then why don't you get a chance to look at the menu?!" Ichigo yelled, releasing a tiny portion of his reiatsu. But even a tiny portion was stronger than any ordinary shinigami and blanketed the trees around them with heavy pressure. It burned through Ichigo's soul, setting his nerves on fire like it always did when he used his power. Ichigo was in front of the hollow in a flash.

"!"

The hollow dodged Ichigo's lightening fast strike with a shocked expression to jump back as far as possible. Ichigo's stomach twisted when he saw Nara's limp body dangling from the hollow's shoulder like a rag doll.

"Foolish boy, if you'd kept that tempting reiatsu in check I might have let you escape, but now I can't help but add you to my - " Ichigo cut the hollow off with a swing from behind, cleaving partway into it's shoulder before it flashed away. Blood splattered the ground where it had been and the hollow screeched in pain.

"Little bastard! I don't know what you are, but you'll pay for that!" It screamed. It had had a taste of Ichigo's reiatsu and could figure out that Ichigo wasn't completely shinigami, so that let Ichigo know this bastard wasn't like other hollows.

Ichigo flashed behind it again to swing, but this time the hollow knew what to expect. Hopping away back into the trees, the hollow immediately realized it was too slow. Surprising Ichigo, it shot up out of the trees. Close behind, Ichigo broke through the foliage into the starry night. The hollow was standing on air not too far away, but it didn't look as defensive this time. Instead, it held Nara out in both hands right by it's mask.

"Have you ever wondered, dear boy, how it is that you never noticed me in the day? How I manage to draw people into this forest no matter the rumors?" It snarled. Ichigo wanted to cut the blasted thing down, but his instincts were telling him that was a bad idea right now. So he stood precariously on air, huffing slightly as he glared.

"Not really since you'll be dead soon." Ichigo replied with a growling cough. The hollow grinned.

"Oh, but I think you'll find that's very hard to do, ill one. The shinigami have tried to find me before, but those stupid bastards always assume I'm ordinary and weak like those other filthy fiends... I'm unlike any other hollow!" It bragged with a cackle.

Ichigo was seriously tempted to shut the filthy beast up right then and there, but the way things were going right now it didn't look like he could do that easily. He couldn't use any of Zangetsu's abilities, couldn't hollowfy, couldn't use any quincy abilities (which were pretty limited anyway) and never learned kido. All he had was his speed and sword skills. Luckily Ichigo had been down this road before and knew if he waited, the arrogant hollow would tell him all about its abilities and make this shitty situation a little better.

"Unlike those common fodder, I possess several abilities! For years I survived in Hueco Mundo by hibernating underneath the sand in a special type of reiatsu seal I learned to impose on myself. Undetectable, all I had to do was wait and draw in my prey. I grew stronger and eventually learned to make my lures far more impressive..." It hissed. Something about that seemed familiar, but Ichigo paid it no mind.

"I've heard of other hollows being able to create their own traps and lures, but such things waste energy. Instead, why not use somebody else's energy? I tried implanting my energy into corpses and found that those freshly dead were subject to my whim - my puppets! I became known as the Necromancer and eventually found my way into the Soul Society. Hollow corpses obviously wouldn't draw out those stupid humans from the safety of their town, so I began experimenting with those that wandered too far. I found my techniques even stronger if I implanted my reiatsu into the living, but only if they were severely wounded." The Necromancer cackled.

"...and that's why people keep seeing their loved ones in the forest at night. Hibernating in the day and luring people into the forest at night. Bastard!" Ichigo hissed. The Necromancer simply cackled more, unwittingly encouraged to reveal more by Ichigo's comments.

"I am the perfect hunter, and my strength is far above yours! I've watched these children for some time when dusk hits, but they've always made sure to leave before night. Until you came... You seem to care about this girl and her brother, so why not savor this particular kill?!" The Necromancer cried.

Before Ichigo could move, the hollow stabbed one of it's claws right through Nara's back to come poking out her chest. Ichigo screamed for her, but the sound was drowned out by the following explosion of energy surrounding her body. Ichigo threw his arms up to shield himself, refusing to yield to the other's reiatsu.

"Behold! My prey created anew!" The Necromancer cried.

Lowering his arms as the reiatsu waned, Ichigo stared wide eyed at Nara. He could feel the Necromancer's reiatsu infecting her soul and reacting to her own promising reserves like a catalyst. In this strange state she no longer bled, injuries healing themselves with the foreign power coursing through her body. The way she stood on air was unnatural and indeed puppet-like, loose posture and slumped shoulders belaying the coiling power within her. Slowly Nara lifted her head up and opened her eyes. Her usual sun-soaked earthy brown eyes were now completely black, blankly staring at Ichigo as if blind.

"...Nara?" Ichigo called out, hoping despite what he knew to be true that she would be able to call back.

"I'm afraid this little fight of ours will end in only one way, shinigami. It's  _how_  you get to that end that matters, however. Will you kill this girl to defend yourself only to fall to me, or let this girl kill you out of those useless morals you humans cling to? Either way,  _you are mine_." The Necromancer hissed.

Ichigo was forced to dodge as Nara suddenly attacked him. She was only wielding a wooden sword, but energy danced along the blade dangerously with each slash. Getting cut probably meant he too would become the Necromancer's puppet, so he avoided the strikes and countered as best as he could without hurting Nara. Ichigo quickly squashed down the urge to cough at his sudden movement and fought. Kicking Nara back, Ichigo surprised the Necromancer by squandering his opportunity to attack Nara to instead appear directly behind it.

"I think there's room for a third option here!" Ichigo bellowed, bringing his massive sword down on the Necromancer.

He would have cleaved the arrogant puppet-master right down the mask if it hadn't been for Nara suddenly attacking from the side. Ichigo only managed to split the top part of the hollow's mask before he was forced to dodge Nara and put some distance between them.

"Kill him already!" The Necromancer screeched, cradling his bleeding mask in pain.

Ichigo could see that he was beginning to heal the wound, so he tried to leap behind him again, but Nara cut him off. Damn if the girl wasn't good, she was certainly pulling out moves worthy of any shinigami. No wonder she'd been targeted by the Necromancer, she had quite the potential. Potential that may never get the chance to blossom...

"Nara, if you're in there, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Ichigo yelled, blocking a vicious strike.

All he got was another blank stare and lightening fast strike. Ichigo growled as more than a pang of guilt twisted his gut. He refused to hurt her, but she was making it difficult to cut down the hollow like this. It was a struggle to hold back like this, so Ichigo resolved to use his speed instead. He just needed to stay ahead of Nara and he would be able to fight the hollow.

Nara might be fast, but she was nothing compared to Ichigo. Suddenly there was only an orange blur as Ichigo shot out to attack the Necromancer yet again. Slashing, cutting, and kicking out he continued to flash and blur in a dizzying display of shunpo and sonido, sometimes a blend of both, to simultaneously avoid both Nara and the Necromancer while trying to land his own hits. It was somewhat difficult to keep up this delicate dance when he felt like he was about to cough up his lungs, but Ichigo had almost never fought a battle where he was even remotely matched in his life. Massive power-imbalances were just the norm, and so was overcoming them, so this was pretty much a cake walk.

It seemed the Necromancer could tell that despite the numerous disadvantages, Ichigo was far more skilled because he began to fire ceros at Ichigo the third time Ichigo managed to land a hit. Narrowly avoiding the glowing red beams, Ichigo had to double over immediately after to avoid Nara. Another cero almost singed the back of his head when he had to drop down right on top of the trees. The Necromancer was behind him in a buzz of sonido to fire another cero, but Ichigo was ready and instead of dodging or jumping back like expected, he rushed forward along the red beam inches from burning his face to slash at the Necromancer with an uppercut.

"Gaaaah!" The Necromancer gurgled, clutching at his throat.

Blood poured from the slash reaching from the Necromancer's stomach up to its throat to chip the very bottom of its mask. Ichigo growled in approval and jumped forward to strike another blow in the Necromancer's shock, but Nara blocked him with a killer strike. Unfortunately Nara's intervention left the Necromancer enough time to start healing, but Ichigo noticed it wasn't healing as fast as it should be. The shock from Nara's wooden blade laced with power hitting Zangetsu actually left a tingling numbness in Ichigo's hands. Any other would have been unable to keep their grip on their sword, but Ichigo was used to having that shocking pins-and-needles feeling in his hands. He'd developed a death-grip a long time ago.

_Damn, its been a while since someone's hit hard enough to make my hands numb... is she getting stronger?_

Trading more lightening fast blows with Nara, Ichigo realized she was. Her attacks were stronger and faster, and more disturbingly the power dancing on her blade was brighter and more potent than before. It definitely wasn't Nara's power clashing against Zangetsu, so it had to be that she was gaining more of the Necromancer's power. That gave Ichigo an idea, and he immediately went back to his original tactics of staying ahead of Nara.

Ichigo poured more power into his shunpo and became a blur of pressing attacks on the wounded Necromancer. Even seriously limiting his power outtake, Ichigo was faster than Nara and finally managed to land another blow on the Necromancer across the shoulder. Yet again, Nara blocked Ichigo from finishing the Necromancer with more power than before as the Necromancer healed at a snail's pace. Now he knew something was going on, but he couldn't quite figure it out. He felt close, like it was tickling just at the back of his mind...

"Tensa!"

Ichigo whipped his head around at the familiar voice to see a blur of red flash by. The Necromancer screamed in agony as something cut it. Immediately he was thrown back by a burst of power from Nara. Whoever had wounded the Necromancer was also thrown back directly into Ichigo and the two fell back down through the trees and into the clearing. All the breath was knocked out of Ichigo as they hit the ground, further winded by the weight of the man crashing into him.

"Agh!" Ichigo cried as pain lanced through his sore body.

The other let out a grunt of pain and struggled to get off of Ichigo. Slightly less dazed than the other (he was used to being knocked down by now), Ichigo shoved the red-head off him with a growl.

"Watch who you fall on!" Ichigo gasped. He was still trying to get the rest of his breath back when the Necromancer dropped down hacking blood with Nara close behind. He and the red-head immediately picked themselves up to face the assailants.

"Tensa! Renji!" Ichigo's stomach dropped when he heard Ori running up behind him and the red-head he assumed was "Renji."

"I thought I told you to stay away from the fight!" Renji exclaimed. Ichigo whipped around to face Renji.

"You took him with you?! You can't just take a _kid_  into a fight!" Ichigo cried. Renji bristled and turned.

"I didn't know where to go or what had happened - and I wasn't going to bring him into a fight!" Renji snapped. The two were interrupted by Ori pushing in between them to gaze at his sister with a stricken look.

"Nara?" He whispered. Ichigo placed a hand on Ori's chest to stop him from going to his sister. Renji noticed the gesture and began eyeing Nara.

"That hollow over there, the Necromancer, implanted his reiatsu into your sister in order to control her like a puppet. I've tried to get her to respond, but she's basically a mindless zombie. She is still alive, so there's a chance we can save her - which means no hurting or wounding her no matter what." Ichigo said the last part with a glare at Renji.

"I wouldn't hurt a kid, no matter who was controlling them." Renji growled.

The Necromancer who'd been quietly observing while Nara paced defensively began to laugh quietly. His laughter grew into a cackle and Ichigo, Renji, and Ori stared at him. It seemed his wounds weren't bothering him nearly as much as they should be as the Necromancer shuddered with manic scream-laughter. Finally he ceased his bloody hacking laughter and took a step towards Ichigo and Renji. The two immediately brought their blades up.

"Oh, you wouldn't hurt an innocent child? It seems you and this pest of a boy share the same weakness!" The Necromancer sneered. Ori gripped the fabric of Ichigo's shihakusho in fear, reminding Ichigo he was still there.

"Get out of here Ori!" Ichigo hissed, trying to shake him off.

"But -" Ori was interrupted by Renji.

"You'll only get in our way - if you want us to save your sister, you need to get a safe distance away so we can focus on saving her. We can't focus on protecting two people at once." Renji said.

Ori looked like he was going to argue more, but the Necromancer let out a scream. Ori gave one last fearful look to his sister before bolting off into the trees. Ichigo had no doubt Ori wouldn't actually leave, but at least he wasn't still in the clearing with the two threats. Besides, Ichigo was a little pre-occupied with the cero being fired at him.

"You take the kid, I'll take the hollow!" Renji called as the two jumped out of the way.

"Alright, but don't let any of it's reiatsu pierce or touch you - that's how it infects you!" Ichigo called back as he flashed out of view. He just hoped whoever this shinigami was was strong enough to kill the Necromancer.

Ichigo flashed in front of Nara before she could stop Renji from rushing the Necromancer with a powerful downward strike. He could hear the Necromancer scream in pain and smiled grimly. It seemed the other was as capable as he'd hoped he would be. But rather than feeling relieved that someone else was here to fight with him, Ichigo felt even more apprehensive. Something felt wrong and was further driven home when Nara's power suddenly rose again. Now the power coating her wooden sword was practically melting off the damn thing, coming off of her strikes like a weaker Getsuga Tensho.

Dodging a potent slash of reiatsu, Ichigo tried to catch Nara by surprise by appearing directly behind her. But she was faster than before and managed to narrowly avoid a kick. Ichigo could see flashes of Renji and the Necromancer fighting as he struggled through his own battle of restraint. His senses were cast in a million different directions as he fought between the Necromancer's reiatsu, Nara's, and the strange foreign reiatsu tickling at his soul. He could feel the Necromancer's life force waning as the fierce red-head blocked ceros and landed hit after hit. Another shriek of pain was heard from the Necromancer as Renji managed to run his zanpakuto through its stomach. Immediately a blast of power came from Nara, throwing Ichigo back.

As hollow reiatsu flowed over Ichigo in ribbons, something familiar stirred inside him to meet the tide of power beyond the burning on his skin. There was also something incredibly invasive he didn't like too. But this time he didn't shy away from the power as it drew back into Nara. He shot his hand out again despite the burning pain increasing to feel it more, but had to snap it back when Nara nearly took his hand off. But that brief instance was enough for him to get a better read on it. It was definitely hollow reiatsu, but it wasn't completely the Necromancer's like Ichigo had assumed when he first felt the connection between Nara and the Necromancer's soul. It was Nara's reiatsu with a hollowified edge to it, but that made no sense...

Nara flashed to appear inches from Ichigo's face, wooden sword pressing against Zangetsu that Ichigo'd snapped up to protect himself. Now the power waging war against Zangetsu was close enough to make Ichigo's face burn. Again he could feel reiatsu flowing over him, the invasive feeling skyrocketing. It felt like something was trying to worm it's way into his soul, but his own power was enough to stop the reiatsu from completely leaking into him. What was there made Ichigo gasp and reflexively release his own wave of power.

Nara was forced to jump back as Ichigo sucked in a breathe and put a hand to his chest. The feeling was gone now, but there were still traces that left a terrible dread in the pit of his stomach. He knew what was going on and he needed to stop this fight as fast as possible.

"Renji stop! Don't kil -" Ichigo was cut off by a scream of pain from the Necromancer.

"Take that, ya ugly bastard!" Renji yelled in triumph.

Everything seemed to pause as Ichigo held his breath. For a moment Ichigo thought he might have been wrong as the Necromancer fell to its knees and began to fade away, but the sudden explosion grimly assured him of otherwise. Renji and Ichigo were both immediately thrown backwards as the clearing exploded in angry red power flowing from where Nara and the Necromancer were. Both had to dig their heals into the ground to stop themselves from flying away as they crouched low to the ground. Ichigo could hear screaming, but to his horror recognized it as Ori's. He'd forgotten that Ori had been watching the fight.

-x-

**Renji Abarai**

"- and that's when I started running!" Ori finished.

Renji winced slightly at the volume Ori had been telling his story, but he supposed it couldn't be helped since Ori needed to yell to be heard over the rushing wind as they shot through the forest. They weren't far from the spot Ori's sister had been taking, but they still had to pick up on the hollow's reiatsu to try and track it. Renji just hoped this Tensa guy was fast enough and strong enough to stop the hollow from killing the kid. An uncomfortable silence made Renji glance back at Ori briefly to see if he was alright. Ori looked unhealthily pale, eyes unfocused and flicking this way and that. Renji had noticed him shaking their entire journey, but now he was painfully aware of his fear.

"So what's this Tensa guy look like, besides being dirty and beat up?" Renji asked, jostling Ori slightly. He really did feel bad for the little guy, the least he could do was distract him from the situation for a little while.

"Oh, uh, he has orange hair, but I thought it was brown at first because of how dirty and ruffed-up he is. He's got shinigami pants-robe thingies, but his shirt-part is missing - that's how I could tell he was a warrior. He had so many scars - oh! I told you about how his sword is stuck in shikai, but I didn't say how big it was! It looked twice as big as me and was completely black." Ori said. Renji frowned. Something about orange hair and many scars tickled at Renji's memory, but he was too focused on trying to recall any shinigami that matched the description. But he didn't know any shinigami like that, especially one named Tensa with a shikai...

"Did he happen to remember what division he's from, or if he's seated?" Renji asked, ducking low to avoid a branch.

"No, all he said was that his name was Tensa and he was hunting a hollow." Ori said.

"What about a last name?" Renji asked. From the way Ori had described Tensa's shikai and how he had used such an advanced technique as soul ribbons, he should be a seated officer, and Renji knew or had heard of almost all the seated officers within the gotei.

"No, only his first name... I actually don't know that much about him..." Ori admitted. Renji wanted to believe Ori, but something about the situation seemed kind of fishy.

"So you just found this random guy who won't even tell you his last name wandering around these cursed woods and took him to your base... tell him that you're all alone...the day your sister gets attacked..." Renji trailed off. Ori immediately stiffened.

"He was there with me when Nara was taken! He promised to protect us! He's not bad!" Ori exclaimed, voice cracking at the end. Renji immediately felt bad.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry kid, I shouldn't have said that. I'm just trying to figure out everything that's going on." Renji apologized.

"...Alright. I'm just... I'm just scared." Ori said almost too quiet for Renji to hear. Great, Renji felt like even more of an asshole.

"It's okay to be scared Ori, everyone gets scared... I bet even someone like Tensa gets scared." Renji said. He was taking advantage of the fact that Ori seemed to look up to Tensa a little, but so long as it made the kid feel better, Renji didn't think it was such a bad thing.

"Really? Well, I guess he did seem scared when I tried to blow the Scary Death Whistle... and when Nara went missing even though he tried to hide it." Ori said.

"Scary Death Whistle?" Renji asked.

"Oh, the um, quincy whistle thing I told you about, the one that hurts hollows." Ori said.

"Oh, that... Yeah I still don't get how a whist - " Ori gasped suddenly, cutting Renji off.

"You can have the whistle! I took it with me when we left to walk home because I wanted to tell my mom about it - I still have it!" Ori exclaimed.

"But what took your sister might not be a hollow..." Renji said. Ironically, he'd been tasked with figuring out what was going on in these woods after the last shinigami had gone missing. His captain had figured a sixth seat would be more than enough to put to rest what was going on, but so far Renji had been unsuccessful in finding anything.

"But what if it is? You don't know yet, so isn't it better to take it?" Ori asked. Renji could hear the desperation in Ori's voice and realized how badly Ori wanted to help. He certainly remembered what it was like to be Ori's age, to be so helpless compared to the shinigami who were supposed to protect his district.

"...Alright. I won't bet all my money on it, but I'm sure it'll come in handy. Good thinking bringing that along." Renji quickly added on. Ori simply nodded and they continued running through the forest. Renji was about to pass an open spot on the path when Ori started patting his shoulder.

"There! Right there's where it took Nara!" Ori exclaimed, pointing at a spot on the path.

Renji quickly flashed to the spot and set Ori down. He could definitely feel several lingering reiatsu signatures here. Casting out his senses, Renji tried to sense any nearby hollows, finding one a good ways away. Gritting his teeth, Renji forced himself not to immediately go after the hollow, instead focusing on the leftover signatures in the area so he could track the hollow and see if it had any partners... Well, it was definitely a lone hollow, but he could only sense one other soul, Ori's sister. Renji turned to Ori and had him hop back onto his back.

"Are you sure this is where Tensa was, I don't sense any reiatsu here." Renji said.

"Yes, he was  _here_! Maybe he was hiding his reiatsu because we were weaker than him? Maybe he was too powerful and needed to hide it!" Ori said hopefully. Renji patted Ori's arm.

"Hey, it's alright, that probably is what he had to do if he had a shikai but you didn't feel anything around him." Renji said before jumping off in the direction of the hollow.

Renji meant what he'd said, and it was starting to set him on edge. If this guy had shikai but still didn't let his reiatsu out, that probably did mean that he was too powerful to let ordinary souls sense him... But Renji should know him if this was the case. He was trying his best not to let these nagging feelings overtake his trust in Ori, but something just didn't feel right. It felt like his gut was trying to tell him something important, but he just couldn't quite get it, like it was on the tip of his tongue. Nevertheless, his focus was on finding the hollow and saving Ori's sister as he flew through the trees with Ori.

"Are we close?" Ori called.

"It's stopped moving, but that probably means it's fighting -" A powerful wave of energy made Renji stop mid-sentence.

Another, smaller but just as potent one rose up to meet it. The first he could tell was the hollow, but the second one felt different than anything Renji had ever felt before. He knew it had to be Tensa's and expected it to be like a shinigami's, but this was not standard shinigami reiatsu. It both was and wasn't, a strange blend of power just hidden under the surface that made the hair on the back of Renji's neck stand up. It felt familiar and different at the same time, a rare zing of danger electrifying the air. He needed to get there now, before the fighting got out of hand.

"Ori! I need you to hold on as tight as you can and try not to throw up on me!" Renji called over his shoulder.

"What? O-okay!" Ori cried, tightening his grip on Renji's shoulders.

Renji poured his reiatsu into his speed, flashing across the forest in a blur of shunpo. Branches scratched at his face, but he barely noticed it as Ori burrowed his face into Renji's back. He could feel the clashes of power and hear the screaming the closer he got to the fighting. Swaying trees and red beams of light forced Renji to stop from going any further. Jumping back to avoid the backlash of another beam, Renji dropped down to the forest floor and took Ori off his back.

"I've got to go help Tensa get your sister back - I need you to stay  _here_ , away from the fight!" Renji ordered. Ori tried to protest, but Renji wasn't having any of it.

"Unless you can fight, you need to stay here!" Renji exclaimed. Ori shook Renji's hands off his shoulders.

"Okay, I'll stay here! But you gotta take this!" Ori said, taking what looked like a toy turtle out of his robes.

"It's the whistle." Ori said, handing the small object to Renji.

"Alright, now  _stay here_. I made a promise to save your sister, and I don't plan on breaking it!" Renji said. Ori nodded furiously and Renji shot off into the trees.

Flashing into a clearing, Renji narrowly dodged a stray cero. He could see the fight going on just above the trees and clearing, glowing red ceros blasting wildly to light up the night each time the hollow fired. The hollow in question was certainly a strange one, covered in black fur like some strange ape all the way down to its long limbs. It was bleeding profusely from several wounds, but what drew Renji's attention the most was the girl he assumed to be Ori's sister fighting the guy Ori had described as Tensa. She was fighting Tensa with a glowing wooden sword, pitch-black eyes focused on nothing as she flashed in and out of existence with her opponent. Renji could immediately tell something was off, especially after he began to see a pattern in the fight. Tensa would go to attack the hollow, but the kid would try to block him and draw him away. She was protecting the hollow.

But as strong and fast as the kid was, Tensa proved to be faster. He was nothing but a dizzying whir of attacks and dodges, slipping between ceros, swipes, and slashes to strike at the hollow while fending off the kid. It was an incredible display of speed, strength, power, and agility, but Renji could see something off about the way he moved. There was no hesitation as he fought, but his movements were snappy and jerky, like he was forcing himself to move in unnatural ways. It was a seamless speed he used to attack, but the way he fought just felt so strange. Loose and flowing like water one moment, tight and immovable the next as he twisted and threw himself like something possessed. It reminded Renji of a broken doll.

Renji shook his head. There was no use just standing here and watching the strange display. Just because Tensa was handling things now didn't mean he could keep that up forever. Luckily the three were so engrossed in their battle that they hardly noticed him.

Unsheathing Zabimaru, Renji launched himself at the hollow just as someone cried out behind him. Distracted, Tensa gave Renji just enough time to flash past him and slash the hollow across its chest. Immediately Renji was thrown back by a burst of power from the kid. Renji crashed into something behind him, cushioning his rough landing as the two fell into the clearing.

"Agh!" Came a cry from beneath Renji.

Renji grunted in pain - hey, he might not have been used like a couch cushion, but it still hurt. Tensa felt surprisingly bony and dug painfully into his back as he tried to get off. Pushed off from below, Renji rolled over onto all fours, catching his breath.

"Watch who you fall on!" Tensa gasped. Renji was going to give a biting response when the hollow dropped down hacking blood with the kid close behind. Renji and Tensa immediately picked themselves up to face the assailants.

"Tensa! Renji!" Renji internally groaned. Can't he just have  _one_  part of his day go right?

"I thought I told you to stay away from the fight!" Renji exclaimed. Tensa whipped around to face Renji with a shocked and aggravated look.

"You took him with you?! You can't just take a _kid_  into a fight!" Tensa cried. Renji bristled and turned. It wasn't like he was trying to put the kid in danger!

"I didn't know where to go or what had happened - and I wasn't going to bring him into a fight!" Renji snapped at the scrappy teen. Their bickering was interrupted by Ori pushing in between them to gaze at his sister with a horrified look.

"Nara?" He whispered. Tensa placed a hand on Ori's chest to stop him from going to his sister. Noticing the gesture, Renji began reevaluating the kid. He knew that kid wasn't fighting as herself, but how and why she was fighting against Tensa and for the hollow was a mystery.

"That hollow over there, the Necromancer, implanted his reiatsu into your sister in order to control her like a puppet. I've tried to get her to respond, but she's basically a mindless zombie. She is still alive, so there's a chance we can save her - which means no hurting or wounding her no matter what." Tensa said the last part with a glare at Renji.

"I wouldn't hurt a kid, no matter who was controlling them." Renji growled. Jesus, he was acting like Renji hadn't just stepped in and wounded the Necromancer.

The Necromancer who'd been quietly observing while Nara paced defensively began to laugh quietly. His laughter grew into a cackle and Renji, Tensa, and Ori stared at him. It seemed his wounds weren't bothering him nearly as much as they should be as the Necromancer shuddered with manic scream-laughter. Finally he ceased his bloody hacking laughter and took a step towards Renji and Tensa. The two immediately brought their blades up, Zabimaru's unsealed blade beside Tensa's rather formidable shikai. Tensa definitely wasn't an ordinary shinigami, but Renji didn't have time to think about that.

"Oh, you wouldn't hurt an innocent child? It seems you and this pest of a boy share the same weakness!" The Necromancer sneered. Ori gripped the fabric of Tensa's shihakusho in fear, reminding Renji he was still ind danger. Luckily Tensa had the same thought as Renji's and started trying to get Ori to leave.

"Get out of here Ori!" Tensa hissed, trying to shake him off.

"But -" Ori was interrupted by Renji.

"You'll only get in our way - if you want us to save your sister, you need to get a safe distance away so we can focus on saving her. We can't focus on protecting two people at once." Renji said.

Ori looked like he was going to argue more, but the Necromancer let out a scream. Ori gave one last fearful look to his sister before bolting off into the trees. Renji was glad Ori was finally out of the way, but he had a feeling unless they didn't end this soon, he'd try to intervene. The Necromancer shot a cero at him and Tensa with a manic grin.

"You take the kid, I'll take the hollow!" Renji called as they jumped out of the way.

"Alright, but don't let any of it's reiatsu pierce or touch you - that's how it infects you!" Tensa called back as he flashed out of view. Renji grimaced. He'd definitely be heeding that advice if he didn't want to end up some sick puppet.

Renji jumped forward to attack the Necromancer as Tensa blocked Nara behind him. Dodging a swipe, Renji flashed directly behind the Necromancer catching it off guard to slice Zabimaru down its back. The Necromancer let out a piercing scream and just managed to get away before Renji could land another hit. Suddenly a burst of power exploded out behind him from Nara. Renji whipped around prepared to block an attack, but Nara was too busy with Tensa.

_Now if he can just manage to keep her busy, I can end this before somebody gets hurt..._

Renji threw himself back into his fight with the Necromancer, dodging ceros and strikes from the now enraged hollow. Renji could tell that he was beginning to tire the Necromancer, each attack growing slower and weaker. He was landing more and more hits, a stab to the shoulder, a slash through the thigh. The Necromancer shrieked in pain again as Renji ran Zabimaru through its stomach. Immediately another blast of power behind Renji came from Nara, whipping up Renji's red locks. This explosion was stronger than the last and really starting to worry Renji. He didn't have time to check and see how Tensa was doing, he needed to kill this hollow now.

Releasing as much reiatsu as he could without using shikai, Renji pushed himself even harder. Now it was his turn to show his skill as he dodged and attacked with stunning speed and accuracy. He could hear Tensa clashing with the kid behind him, but he was too busy redirecting ceros to pay much mind. It wasn't long before an opening presented itself, and Renji took it.

"Renji stop! Don't kil -" But it was too late for Renji to stop his attack. He was already slicing the Necromancer in half.

"Take that, ya ugly bastard!" Renji yelled in triumph.

Renji watched in grim satisfaction as the Necromancer fell to his knees, turning to Tensa to ask why the hell he was freaking out, but froze when he saw the look of absolute horror on Tensa's face. A massive explosion tore Renji's focus away as he and Tensa were both violently thrown backwards as the clearing lit up in angry red power flowing from where Nara and the Necromancer were. Both had to dig their heals into the ground to stop themselves from flying away as they crouched low to the ground. Renji grunted as the howling wind brought gusts of power flowing past them. He could faintly hear screaming behind him and realized it was Ori. Renji turned to Tensa.

"What the fuck's happening?!" Renji screamed.

"I told you not to kill it! I warned you not to!" Tensa screamed, face contorted in anger.

Almost as abruptly as it had began, the explosion of power stopped. Renji nearly fell forward from the sudden lack of force. Everything felt empty for a second before the dust cleared and Nara emerged. Everything about her was malicious now from the seething black and gold eyes and pale white skin to the manic smile plastered on her normally childish features. The aura she was giving off was no longer her own, but the Necromancer's at a much stronger level. Not-Nara sauntered forward with a rumbling laugh.

"Aaaah, what a feeling... Surprised? Well, only one of you seems surprised..." Not-Nara sneered. Tensa snarled at it in a surprisingly feral manner.

"Don't think that we won't be able to take Nara's body back!" Tensa shot back. Renji was trying his best to keep up, but this was ridiculous. He'd just killed the Necromancer - shouldn't Nara be free from its hold?

"There's no way a hollow could possess a soul, so whatever trick you're using can't be strong enough to keep the kid like this!" Renji said.

"Oh? Why don't you explain it to him,  _shinigami_." The Necromancer said with a secretive look. Tensa stiffened for some reason, but nonetheless he turned to Renji and explained the situation.

"He's not possessing her body, he's using it like a parasite. When hollows consume one another, the strongest consciousness takes over to maintain individuality. Usually it's the hollow that ate the other one that remains in control, but occasionally there are hollows that can fight their way in a hollows' soul to become dominant. That's what the Necromancer has done with Nara. He implanted his reiatsu into her soul not only to make her his puppet, but to start hollowfying her. I didn't figure out what was happening until I felt her reiatsu up close, but it was too late then. Once you killed him, enough of his power had been transferred to her that he could allow himself to fuse with her soul the same way hollows do when they're eaten. If we don't find a way to remove the Necromancer soon, Nara's body will completely transform into a hollow - the Necromancer's new body." Tensa said bitterly.

"Oh shit..." Renji whispered. The Necromancer only laughed harder.

"Well, I think you'll find that to be quite the challenge considering this child's unlocked reiatsu is now apart of mine!" The Necromancer exclaimed, dropping it's heavy reiatsu down on them like an anvil.

Renji was nearly thrown to the ground under its weight, but managed to stay standing. He might be a sixth seat, but he was far stronger than he'd yet shared with his captain. Renji was surprised to see that Tensa was also still standing, even looking better than Renji. Just who was this guy? But a cry of pain from behind him made Renji turn around and see much to his horror that Ori had indeed followed them and was now being flattened beneath the weight of the Necromancer's reiatsu.

"Ori!" Tensa cried, running back to him.

Renji was going to join Tensa in shielding Ori from the potent reiatsu, but the Necromancer suddenly attacked him. Just barely managing to get Zabimaru up to block, Renji was thrown back by the force of the Necromancer's blow. Skidding on the grass, Renji came to a stop for just a few seconds before launching back into action. Thankfully the Necromancer's reiatsu was beginning to let up the pressure around them as Renji rushed forward to slice at the parasitic hollow. Nimbly dodging with double the speed it had before, the Necromancer launched a much larger cero right at Renji's head. Flashing out of the way just in time, Renji had to dodge again as he was nearly sliced in half by a wooden sword. At this point the play sword was more dangerous than an actual sword. Renji raised Zabimaru high and prepared to release his shikai.

"Howl, Zabi -" Tensa's frantic yelling interrupted him.

"Don't! Ori can't handle any more reiatsu!" Tensa yelled from behind Renji. Turning around, Renji saw that Ori was still gasping on the ground as Tensa tried to shoulder some of the reiatsu. So the Necromancer hadn't let up on his reiatsu... Renji must have been getting stronger.

_Damn, just one fight was enough to make me stronger without shikai. This is going to be tough..._

Renji put Zabimaru back down and re-engaged the Necromancer. The next cero the Necromancer was much more powerful than an ordinary hollow's and managed to graze Renji's shoulder, surprising him. Lashing out with Zabimaru to try and push the Necromancer back, Renji found that the hollow was just beginning to test its newfound power. Wild ceros kept Renji constantly on his toes with barely enough time to block the sword strikes the Necromancer was doling out. Less and less openings were appearing as their fight continued, and it was beginning to wear him down. Grunting in pain from a strike that managed to catch his side, Renji knew he was running out of options. If he released his shikai, he might end up crushing Ori. If he didn't, he wouldn't be able to kill the Necromancer and Nara would no longer be Nara. Even his best option wasn't that great; having Tensa leave Ori to help fight the Necromancer would leave Ori vulnerable.

A random cero managed to slip through Renji's defenses to clip his side, splattering blood as Renji cried out in pain. Renji stumbled back and received a sound kick to the stomach for his imbalance that sent him flying back. Things were going downhill fast, and he didn't know how long he could keep this up. Rolling out of the way just in time to avoid being stabbed, a thought entered Renji's head. Jumping back up, Renji drew the Necromancer farther away from Tensa and Ori.

"Tensa! How far can you get Ori away from here in a minute?" Renji called between grunts and attacks.

"Not far enough away to be free of the Necromancer's reiatsu - but far enough away that I wouldn't need to shield him!" Tensa called back, catching on.

"Then hurry up and do it already!" Renji bellowed. Renji could feel Tensa disappear from the clearing as he struggled to keep the Necromancer at bay.

"Isolating yourself from the boy so early? It doesn't really matter in the end, once I'm finished with you I'll kill the sickly shinigami and consume the boy!" The Necromancer cackled. Renji frowned at the way the Necromancer had described Tensa, but he shook it off.

"I wouldn't get so cocky - that orange asshole and I are gonna tear you right out of that kid!" Renji retorted. He wasn't proud to say that he was sweating and breathing heavily when he said that, but at this point he didn't care. The Necromancer just laughed again and began attacking Renji, a manic grin splitting Nara's childish features.

"Oh? And what makes you so trustful of this 'shinigami'? You may have figured out my nature, but it seems I'm the only one who's figured out his..." The Necromancer whispered suddenly close to Renji's face.

Renji instinctively lashed out and pushed the Necromancer back. Renji's blows were becoming fewer and farther in between as their fight continued to go downhill. A well-timed faint had Renji stumbling forward right into one of the Necromancer's strikes, blazing energy from Nara's blade cutting into his abdomen. Renji gave a sharp cry of pain and haphazardly flashed away clutching at his stomach. He wasn't even halfway through his shunpo step when the Necromancer tried to deliver another blow. Renji managed to push off the other's blade but was shoved to the ground in the process. Head snapping back to crack against the ground, Renji had just enough time to feel his stomach drop as the Necromancer swung Nara's blade down at him.

"Oh no you don't!" Tensa cried out of nowhere.

Renji felt the whoosh of air from Nara's sword as Tensa flew into the Necromancer just in time. The two danced around him trading blows, foreign reiatsu washing over them. Renji saw Tensa stiffen suddenly and dart forward to - what the hell?! He grabbed Nara's sword, hand becoming engulfed in energy. For a moment Renji swore he saw Tensa's eyes flicker to something else, but it was gone before he could even remember it.

"We're running out of time, you have to do something now!" Tensa yelled. Renji tried to stand, but a wave of pain from his abdominal wound sent him back to the ground. He suddenly felt unbelievably sick before realizing with a spike of dread was going on. He'd completely forgotten.

"I would, but you know how you told me not to let its reiatsu pierce me?" Renji called, breathing heavily.

"Shit!" Tensa hissed after a slight pause. The Necromancer cackled.

"It seems I'm quite the ladder-climber! The red-head will be my best puppet yet!" The Necromancer declared with a lustful look that sent shivers up Renji's spine.

"Not if I  _kill you_  before you get the chance to overwhelm his soul with your reiatsu!" Tensa snarled with a massive overhand strike.

_That's right! That bastard had to flood the kid's soul with his reiatsu before he could make her his puppet and body - if Tensa could just kill the Necromancer as is, the fourth will hopefully be able to remove all the foreign reiatsu..._

That meant Renji had to get away from this fight. Struggling to his feet, Renji spared a glance at the furious fight going on between Tensa and the Necromancer. Shockingly, Tensa was doing better than Renji, but it was obvious that he was still in trouble. Renji tried to ignore the lancing pain coming from his bleeding wound as he stumbled away towards the tree line. He heard a desperate warning from Tensa and instinctively threw himself down to the ground to thankfully avoid a cero that had slipped past Tensa. Renji had to quickly roll over as something hard jabbed painfully into his stomach. Fumbling in his robes, Renji pulled out a small blood-soaked object. With a jolt, he realized it was the whistle Ori had given him. God he hoped what he was going to do wouldn't screw him over in the end...

"Get ready for an opening!" Renji cried, holding the whistle up for Tensa to see. Tensa's eyes flew wide when he saw what Renji was holding.

"No, wait Renji! Don't use -"

A hollow whooshing of air ushered from the whistle as Renji put everything he had into blowing into it. For a moment as he blew the silent whistle, he thought it was broken, but the sudden piercing hollow screams dispelled any doubts. Renji choked and nearly stopped blowing into the whistle as he felt his reiatsu unexpectedly drop, sucked into the whistle as fuel. But what shocked him the most was the chaos he was witnessing.

The Necromancer had dropped to its knees screaming and clawing at Nara's face with an expression of pure agony as its reiatsu raged out of control. Renji was horrified to see Tensa in the same state, warbled screams far from human as he clawed at his head, black sclera'd and gold-pupiled eyes shining with pain. What looked like black blood bubbled out of his mouth and crept down from his nose like a nosebleed. Renji didn't know whether he should stop or not, but Tensa held him transfixed as he struggled to slowly stand straight and jerkily bring his sword up fighting the whistle's hold on him. With a desperate scream, Tensa launched himself at the Necromancer and plunged his sword directly into Nara's chest. Renji stopped blowing the whistle to scream.

But instead of blood pouring out of Nara like Renji expected, blinding white reiatsu shot out in ribbons from Nara's chest flowing from Tensa's blade through Nara out her back. Black tendrils bubbled out from behind her like some kind of macabre wings.

" ** _STOP IT! STOOOOP IIIITTTT - AAAAUUUUUGHHHH!_** " The Necromancer screeched throwing Nara's head back.

Another anvil of power dropped over the clearing and the Necromancer arched convulsively. Just as the white reiatsu overtook the black, Renji felt something snap in himself, but not in a bad way. It was like getting rid of something blocking your lungs, like the feeling you get directly after you throw up. With that the Necromancer stopped screaming and hung Nara's body limp as Tensa removed his blade to collapse. All the power was gone now and all three souls were left in eerie silence. It wasn't long before that silence was broken by Tensa's violent hacking as he tried to support himself with his sword. No longer in pain from his wound (at least the infection part), Renji forced himself to his feet and made his way to Nara as quickly as he could manage.

"Come on come on, be alright kid..." Renji said breathlessly as he checked her for signs of life. He heaved a heavy sigh of relief when he felt a pulse beneath his fingers, however weak.

"Check her *cough* eyes... the Necromancer should be *cough* gone..." Tensa grated from where he was trying to prop himself up with his blade. Renji did as was told and gently opened Nara's eyes. They were no longer black and gold, but the normal white and brown. He didn't sense any hollow reiatsu.

"I don't sense anything other than her own reiatsu. She's going to be fine." Renji said with a sigh.

"Oh thank god - " Renji violently jerked Nara away from Tensa as he tried to drag himself closer.

"Stay away from her!" Renji snarled. Tensa flinched and stopped moving.

"What did you do to her?! What the hell are you?!" Renji demanded.

"I removed the hollow from her - stabbing her was the only way to make a connection to her soul!" Tensa exclaimed, genuinely distressed. Renji hesitated a little at that since it made sense, but there was no forgetting what he'd seen.

"Fine, but you didn't answer my question - you're not a shinigami, and you're certainly not human." Renji accused, eyeing Tensa up and down mistrustfully.

He hadn't gotten the chance to get a good look at Tensa before, but now that he was really looking, the guy looked way beyond normal. As Ori had said, his hair was orange, but it was so faded and dirty that it looked more brown. Long and shaggy, his limp hair hung down around his bare bony shoulders. In fact, his entire frame seemed unhealthily skinny, wiry muscles standing out unnaturally where they should have been strong and youthful on his body. It gave the impression that he had once been well-muscled but had since degraded. He was sharp and gangly in all the wrong places. Tensa's cheekbones stood out sharply from his pale and haggard face, dark circles making his wary eyes stand out despite the strange desaturated nature of his dull brown eyes forever shifting and watching. Scars littered his body anywhere he had skin, crossing over and layering from old to new scars, many thin and faded from his soul's accelerated healing rate except for the strange marks on his wrists, ankles, and neck. Renji honestly didn't think he had any skin  _not_  marked by scars.

Tensa opened and closed his mouth to speak, but shut it with a click. He hung his head and shook it, shoulders slumped in a clearly defeated air.

"That's all anyone cares about, isn't it? Why don't you just focus on helping Nara." Tensa muttered bitterly. Renji went to respond, but the sound of movement behind them made him turn.

"Nara!" Ori screamed from his perch on one of the figure's shoulders. Renji immediately recognized his captain as the stoic man stepped into the clearing and was forced to drop Ori. Following close behind was Captain Mayuri and his lieutenant Nemu.

_Two captains and a lieutenant? What the hell's going on here?_

"Don't come closer Ori, I'll take Nara to you!" Renji called, picking Nara up bridal style and quickly making his way over to the distraught boy and watchful captains.

Ori immediately ran up to him to inspect his sister once he set her down, crying in relief when he saw that she was breathing. Tensa moved to get up and follow, but Renji's captain Byakuya stopped him by unsheathing his sword. Ori looked in confusion between Byakuya and Tensa, but Renji knew his captain would explain soon enough.

"Stay where you are, ryoka." Byakuya ordered emotionlessly.

"What's wrong, why aren't you helping Tensa?" Ori asked. Mayuri rolled his eyes and turned to the boy.

"Unless you have something useful to contribute, I suggest you stay quiet.  _Children_  shouldn't meddle in such important affairs." Mayuri muttered to himself. Byakuya turned to Renji and zeroed in on his wound.

"I'm assuming the hollow and its parasitic abilities have been taken care of?" Byakuya stated flatly. Renji quickly nodded.

"Yes taichou." Renji said, attempting to bow with a hiss of pain. Byakuya quickly signaled for Renji to cease formalities.

"I'm sure you're wondering what such high-ranking shinigami and I are doing here, but I will answer simply and take questions later; I had Mayuri place a tracker on you." Byakuya said. Mayuri grinned wickedly and Renji's stomach dropped. The maniacal captain actually looked to be  _excited_ , and everyone knew that was a very, very bad thing.

"And who would have thought such a mundane mission would have led to such an interesting specimen? I suppose I should be thankful for your captain's insistence on monitoring your activity in the event you too disappeared, but with the tizzy my sensors were in I would have found my precious specimen with or without your interference." Mayuri said with a sideways glance at Tensa. Tensa stiffened and shifted into a more defensive crouch. Mayuri grinned harder.

"Oh don't get testy, did you really think you'd be able to remain undetected? Though I doubt you remember it thanks to the state you were in, but your little stunt in Hueco Mundo didn't sit too well with the gotei." Mayuri sneered.

That's when things suddenly clicked for Renji. The strange behavior, hollow eyes, orange hair, powerful reiatsu, captains showing up.  _Tensa was the rogue hollow evading everyone's sensors._  Renji wanted to smack himself now that he realized what was going on. The Las Noches Imperio had put out a hit on a rogue hollow using an untraceable hybrid garganta with bright orange hair and unexpected strength. Checking their sensors over and over again, the research teams had found much to their alarm that they had indeed been unable to pick up on the hollow nor the portal it had opened up. It was even more disturbing because the portal described should have taken an enormous amount of obvious power to open, but there wasn't even a whisper of anything. That was when Mayuri had first gained interest, assigning a team to monitor all senkaimons and gargantas for anything unregistered. Not long after, an alert was issued that the same hollow had evolved to an arrancar level adjuchas and was massacring the Forest of Menos with extreme hostility. According to the research team, it was likely the hollow was going to evolve again, hopefully making it more traceable.

Tensa must have come to the Soul Society and evolved here into an arrancar, but started hiding his reiatsu again. The gotei was automatically monitoring all gargantas and portals, so they probably couldn't isolate the one Tensa had made as belonging to him until after their fight with the Necromancer began and Tensa was forced to release his reiatsu. The tracker Byakuya had put on Renji must have been geared for sensing any type of soul and alerted the scientists at the research center when something wrong. It made a lot more sense now that Byakuya had sent Renji instead of a lower seat out to investigate; this was an area where an unregistered garganta had been opened.

"But Tensa couldn't have been in Hueco Mundo - he was hunting a hollow here in the Soul Society!" Ori exclaimed, looking between the captains ad Tensa in confusion. Tensa avoided Ori's eyes. Mayuri chuckled, but it was nowhere near a pleasant sound.

"Our sensors can tell us without a doubt this hollow was in Hueco Mundo not a day ago. Sensors don't lie, but people do. Pesky little trait, isn't it?" Mayuri asked, not bothering to watch Ori for a reaction. Ori turned to Tensa again, confusion scrunching his eyebrows.

"Hollow? What's he talking about?" Ori asked. Tensa was looking extremely guilty now, but Renji didn't have much sympathy. Tensa had lied to them about what he was, who he was, and why he was there. Everyone knew how dangerous and largely unpredictable arrancars are, especially those not within the Los Noches Imperio. Seeing that Tensa wasn't going to answer, Renji spoke for him.

"Tensa lied to us. He's not a shinigami, he's not hunting any hollows, and he _was_  in Hueco Mundo. He's an arrancar." Renji said. Tensa winced slightly and turned his head away.

"That's not true! He saved Nara!" Ori burst out. Renji shook his head, but he knew he needed to tell Ori the truth.

"I used the whistle, Ori. His eyes turned black and gold and he was affected by it just like the Necromancer." Renji said. Ori tried to protest more, but his cries were beginning to falter the longer Tensa avoided him.

"Tensa?" Ori asked in a small voice. Tensa clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. Finally he opened them and looked Ori in the eyes, his no longer white and brown, but black and gold. Ori blinked in shock and took an involuntary step back. Tensa let his eyes fade back to normal and seemed unsure how to address Ori.

"... I'm sorry Ori, I - " Ori interrupted Tensa with an angry shout.

"You LIED!" Ori yelled. Tensa flinched at the words, but this time he didn't turn away. There was a strange look on his face... A sad sort of resolve in his eyes that Renji didn't quite know how to feel about...

"I know, I did lie to you. But I wasn't the one who told you I was a shinigami, or that some hollow stole my memories.  _You_  made up those things and wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell you they weren't true. I was going to try and tell you when we made it to your base, but then Nara came out of nowhere. I really,  _truly_  wanted to tell you the truth, but I knew that Nara would know better than you and tell the local shinigami about me." Tensa explained, eyes pleading for Ori to understand. Ori threw his hands up.

"So you just kept lying to us? Why did you even try to walk us home then? Why couldn't anybody find out what you are? Were you even trying to protect us, or just get rid of us?!" Ori demanded. Now it was Tensa's turn to get angry, eyes flashing as he stiffened. Renji instinctively moved closer to Ori.

"I never lied about protecting you! I never lied about wanting to keep you safe! I never tried to lie about what kind of person I was, I never tried to hide myself or pretend to be your friendly neighborhood shinigami so you'd trust me!" Tensa cried, jabbing a finger at himself.

"I came here because someone was trying to hurt me and I needed to get away! All I want is to be  _left alone_! I  _don't_  want to hurt anyone, I  _don't_  want to cause any trouble, hell  _I don't even want to be near anybody_!" Tensa exclaimed. Ori seemed a little uncertain now, but he didn't say anything.

Renji shifted slightly. He certainly seemed sincere, but he couldn't expect to get off scott-free. It was his duty to stop people like Tensa, illegal invaders causing trouble. Well, trouble he had actually been a part of... He really shouldn't feel bad for the guy though, he was a dangerous arrancar. He'd lied and already shown that he was capable of killing people, he needed to be stopped. He was a threat, so this was what they should be doing...

"Whether that's true or not is of no consequence to the situation. You are trespassing in Soul Society and have therefore lost all rights afforded to you in Hueco Mundo. Captain Mayuri takes full responsibility for you from now on." Byakuya said. Tensa visibly paled, if that was possible with his already pale skin.

"No, no you can't do that! I didn't do anything wrong - hell I just got done helping one of your people take down a hollow!" Tensa exclaimed in a horrified voice. It was true that Tensa hadn't really done anything wrong, and he'd even helped Renji to save Nara...

"Well if you just come with me I'm sure we can take some statements abou -" Tensa interrupted Mayuri's "offer."

"Don't give me that bullshit, I know exactly what you plan on doing with me! I know what people like you do, how you pick apart and destroy anything different just _because_  it's different!" Tensa spat, bristling. Mayuri took a step forward and Tensa immediately began releasing his reiatsu. Now Renji could clearly feel that hollow tint to it, the dark and aggressive nature he was showing them now. It was a clear sign for them to  _back off_ , and Mayuri took the hint to stop moving towards the skittish outsider.

"You have much experience with this, hmm? I can see the artful little tinkers of another... such odd marks and designs... precise enough for an experiment, but cruel enough for something else..." Mayuri mused. Tensa leaked out a little more reiatsu and the clearing got heavier. Renji couldn't help but curiously notice it was only enough to convey his aggression, not pressure or harm Ori and Nara.

"But who would want such a dangerous pet...?" Mayuri asked. The effect was immediate as Tensa visibly reacted to those words, body suddenly tight and rigid, eyes wide and shining dangerously as his body trembled. This time the reiatsu increased dramatically before being reined in just barely before reaching the point of hurting Ori and Nara.

Renji felt a chill run down his back at the way Mayuri was describing Tensa and when he realized what Mayuri was talking about. He himself wasn't a medical expert in the slightest, but he did know battle scars, and too many of Tensa's didn't look anything like the result of battle wounds. What the hell was Mayuri implying? Tensa had come from Hueco Mundo, so was it possible he'd been one of Sazyel's experiments? Everyone knew he experimented on hollows and other unfortunate souls the same way Mayuri did while everyone else turned a blind eye, but wouldn't a soul that turned out this powerful have been too dangerous for the Los Noches Imperio to allow continued research? Unless Sazyel had removed Tensa from his status as research subject to something else... Is that what Mayuri meant? Sazyel kept him in the records as a pet?

"It doesn't seem the wisest decision to rile this ryoka up any more..." Byakuya warned in a subtle threat. Renji knew full well that Byakuya had little tolerance for Mayuri's shenanigans and would step in if he felt things had gone too far. Mayuri rolled his eyes.

"Despite your rather base initial assumptions, there is far more to learn about this subject than just that he's an intruder. I think this subject may be my most interesting find all week!" Mayuri exclaimed with poorly hid glee.

"Like hell I'm gonna be your subject!" Tensa snarled. His massive blade was already up protectively in front of him, practically oozing malice.

"And what other choice do you have here? You may not have realized, but you have told me many things about yourself in our brief encounter,  _anomaly_. The scars on your body are far too old for you to have gained them today, so it's clear that you sustained them the last time you were in a humanoid state without natural regeneration. You speak of 'people like me' like you have significant experience and memories of such people... which would be impossible since you've only existed at an arrancar state for a day. You show evidence of being aware of when you sustained your injuries which could only have been long before you reached a stage in hollow evolution where your mind allowed for memory..." Mayuri explained.

"There are two possible explanations here; one, you somehow remember your living life from before becoming a hollow. Or two, you've been at this arrancar stage before, but somehow have the ability to regress and progress at will. You can play with your own evolutionary abilities." Mayuri concluded. Everyone looked at Tensa in shock. Those were really the possibilities?

"Of course there is the third possibility that you're not completely hollow, but that's  _always_  a possibility to consider when finding new subjects. Either way, both prospects are enormously interesting and dangerous. You really have only two options here. There's no way the gotei could let such a dangerous being exist... unless it was let to live for research purposes..." Mayuri said with a manic grin.

"Either you come to my lab as a subject and live..." Mayuri said.

"Or choose to fight us here and die." Byakuya finished. An odd look passed over Tensa's face and suddenly he was much closer to them than before.

"Not exactly a choice for me." He whispered.

An explosion of power blinded Renji and for a terrifying moment he thought that Tensa had fired a cero at them, but the way the dark red energy flowed made it completely harmless to them. Tensa hadn't aimed to hurt them... Renji heard his captain calling for him before he saw him, stoic man cutting the energy with his own blade to cross over to him, Mayuri already chasing after Tensa.

"Get those children to the village and meet Mayuri and I wherever we capture that ryouka when I give the signal." Byakuya ordered.

"Yes taichou!" Renji replied, taking Ori onto his back and Nara into his arms. As an afterthought, he quickly retrieved an object that had gotten blown to the edge of the clearing.

"Take this - it uses reiatsu to harm anything hollow! I've seen it work on Tensa once already!" Renji said, throwing the whistle to Byakuya. He caught it and nodded before disappearing in a flash.

"Hold on tight to me, Ori!" Renji warned. Ori nodded numbly and Renji took off as fast as he could with his injuries. He'd stop to bind his stomach once he got to the village. For now he could handle it. Rather than bothering to take the forest paths, Renji skipped straight to bursting out above the trees, mindful of not scratching Ori and Nara with tree branches.

"The-the v-village is that wa-way!" Ori stuttered, pointing towards a dark clump in the distance. Renji could feel him shaking and knew the poor kid was close to a breakdown.

"Just hold on Ori, everything's gonna be okay! You and Nara are going to be just fine!" Renji called over the sound of the wind rushing by them. Pain lanced up his abdomen every time he pushed off the sky, but he tried his best to ignore it. Too bad he wasn't that great at healing kido...

"Okay, just please, please..." Ori's shaky pleas quickly devolved into sobbing as he buried his head into Renji's shoulder. Renji gritted his teeth and pushed himself harder. It wasn't long before they reached the village, much faster this time now that they were going at it at a straight shot. They landed somewhat clumsily at the edge of town, Renji falling to one knee with a hiss of pain.

"Ori! Nara!" Someone cried from the darkened village. Renji looked up to see Ori's mother running towards them. She must have been waiting at the edge of town ever since they'd left.

"Mom!" Ori sobbed.

"Oh my gods, what happened?!" Ori's mother exclaimed, grabbing her son into a fierce hug and helping Renji lay an unconscious Nara on the ground.

"Turns out the hollow was way tougher than it should have been... both of your kids are alright they just need a little rest and healing." Renji coughed. Ori's mother gasped.

"You're hurt! Let me help you -" Renji waved away the woman's attempts to help.

"Can't afford to let you help, I need to be on guard. I'll be fine." Renji said, painfully picking himself up. Taking off his shihakusho's top, Renji ripped it into long strips and began binding his wounds.

"Get these two to your local shinigami, they'll be able to heal them and keep them safe." Renji said.

"But -" Renji waved the woman away, drawing Zabimaru to face the dark woods. She set her jaw and nodded, scooping up Ori and Nara to leave.

"Wait! Please don't hurt Tensa!" Ori cried. Renji turned to him and opened his mouth to speak.

"I know he lied to us, but I decided I'm not mad at him anymore! He was scared, just like you said everyone is. He shouldn't have lied and I'm still mad that he did that, but he was hurt and scared and he just wanted somewhere to hide. He was still nice to us and tried to help us get home safe even when he shouldn't have - he helped save Nara!" Ori exclaimed.

Looking at Ori, renji knew he couldn't tell the kid no, but he now knew for certain he'd be lying. Whether or not Tensa deserved it, Mayuri was going to hurt him, badly. But he couldn't say that. Instead he gave a curt nod to Ori who returned it. Seemingly satisfied that her son was done conversing, Ori's mother gave an appreciative nod to Renji and made to leave. Renji turned back to the forest and heard the three leave into town behind him. He could sense the battle waging from here, but he couldn't tell what was going on, not until Byakuya gave him the signal to return. He waited tensely for some sign that it was over until finally he felt a familiar wave of reiatsu rage. From the feel of it, Byakuya had used the whistle on Tensa and he was  _not_  dealing with it well. For a moment he couldn't sense anything, but then he felt a single spike of Byakuya's reiatsu falled by a smaller spike; the signal.

He was off in a flash, leaping over the forest to close in on his captain's position surprisingly far from where they'd confronted Tensa. He must have put up one hell of a, albeit short, fight because there were massive chunks missing from the forest where broken trees smoked. Finally arriving after a path of destruction, Renji dropped down into a battle-made clearing of burnt trees and singed foliage. Navigating the decimated tree trunks, Renji saw Byakuya and Mayuri standing over something. For a moment he thought they'd killed Tensa, but coming closer he realized both still had blades at the ready, so he must have been alive.

"Taichou!" Renji called. Byakuya didn't bother looking up to respond.

"I assume the children are safe?" Byakuya asked as Renji came huffing up behind him.

"Yes taich -" Renji stuttered to a stop when he saw the state Tensa was in.

He'd assumed that a fight with two captains would have left anyone on the brink of death, but Tensa wasn't even unconscious. He was pinned to the ground with a strange bakudo Renji had never seen before, gold bands of power digging into Tensa's flesh each time he sucked in a shuddering breathe. He was bleeding from a couple injuries, but nowhere near as many as he should have been. Black substance oozed from his nose and open mouth as he coughed and wheezed, watching them with wide eyes. Renji had to look away as his wild gaze met his. He looked like a caged animal, intense brown eyes blurry with pain, fear, and...something else...probably some horrible poison knowing Mayuri...He wouldn't be awake for long.

"It turns out my new subject had more fight than we anticipated, but as you can see, he seems to be sick at the moment. No doubt that  _fascinating_  whistle you found only affects him so because of this ailment, but the affects could be exacerbated simply from fighting and of course..." Mayuri continued to chatter incomprehensibly to himself grinning like a maniac about his theories and plans. Renji turned to Byakuya.

"...Is he really going to be Mayuri's new subject?" Renji asked.

"That's up to the Head Captain, but you know how central 46 feels about halting Mayuri's potential for discovery." Byakuya said with a slight sniff. Renji was one of few who knew Byakuya well enough to know that he disapproved of Mayuri and his research center.

"...But he's not like other subjects, he's completely sentient and hasn't shown any ill wi -" Byakuya interrupted Renji sharply.

"Do not mistake this ryoka for being one of us, he is not like you or I or even other souls and even if he was he is in serious violation. I'll not have one of my seated officers wasting time on a lost cause simply because he mistakenly empathizes with a dangerous intruder. I have my duties and you have yours." Byakuya said.

"...Yes taichou." Renji said. Duty... rules...Byakuya had always emphasized these above all else, so Renji really shouldn't have been surprised. He did have his duties, and he wouldn't besmirch his captain's honor by going against his orders. So he clenched his fists and straightened.

"What now then?" Renji asked. Byakuya eyed him searchingly for a moment before seemingly satisfied and turned back to Tensa on the ground.

"We bring him to the research center and begin filing the report." Byakuya said.

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bitch of a chapter to get out, I had to finish writing it on my Thanksgiving vacation which consisted of driving fourteen hours straight through the night because my family decided to drive to California Wednesday night. I can't sleep in cars, probably because of a little car accident I was in with our pastor when I was younger (nothing major but I just have a good memory and a strong desire not to die) so I was awake until the last half-hour when I found out we had some sleeping pills I could take. Well, I finished the chapter on our second day here (we're only staying two days 'cause we're punks) but decided to make one hell of a masterpiece the day we arrived...I hope you enjoy the beautiful fanart I've created...  
> As always, thank you for your feedback and feel free to tell me what you think!


	11. Chapter 10: Wow a Cult

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I don't have any fanart this time on AO3 for a variety of shitty reasons, but feel free to check out previous works if you haven't seen them already.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Thoughts/Speech_

**Chapter 10: Wow a Cult**

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

_Ichigo didn't know or care where he was running to as he fled, just that he get away. Now it didn't matter whether or not he was using too much reiatsu, he'd already been caught and there was no chance of subtlety as he crashed through trees, wild reiatsu drowning the forest despite him only using small fractions of his reserves. Muscles burning, Ichigo forced himself to keep pumping liquid fire through his veins, a dangerous amount of reiatsu to put into shunpo for normal souls but more than customary to him. A steady stream of curses came from Ichigo's mouth as he felt the captains keeping pace with him. Barely missing a strange bakudo he didn't recognize, Ichigo was seriously debating in his overwhelming panic bringing Shiro out of sleep just so he could actually fight back. Another kido spell exploded into a tree inches from Ichigo's head. Shit shit shit. They were close enough now that Ichigo could hear them calling out to him._

_"You can't run forever! Give yourself up or we will have no choice but to take capture you with any means necessary!" Called out the one Ichigo assumed was the stone-faced man that had turned out to be Renji's commander._

_"Such shocking speed! Your talents will no doubt be appreciated by my research team!" The other helpfully offered._

_Ichigo didn't bother to reply, too focused on trying to breathe while running. With that the kido turned into a barrage of attacks, one even taking off a stray lock of Ichigo's hair as he frantically dodged. Dammit, if only he could just return another attack, but the longer Shiro slept, the better. Ichigo tried desperately to convince himself he didn't need his Zanpakuto's help, this certainly wasn't the worst he'd ever gone through, let alone alone. He'd taught himself long ago to never completely rely on Shiro or Ossan after he'd given up trying to manifest them in the World of the Living when he needed them most. He understood that while his Zanpakuto was never going to always be there for him, he needed to be there for them. It was his job to protect them, and right now Shiro needed him. He needed him to stop being such a stupid, worthless, pathetic excuse of a human -_

_"Scatter, Senbonzakura!"_

_Ichigo felt a sudden release of power from Renji's commander and almost risked looking back to see the release of shikai. Unfortunately, he didn't have to look back as the shikai came to him in a burst of what looked like cherry blossom petals. Not one to be fooled by appearances, Ichigo tried to get out of the way of the burst, but found the petals could track him faster than he could dodge among all the trees. Thousands of petals sliced into Ichigo, but his hierro was enough to protect him from any serious damage. Flashing as far away from the petals as he could, Ichigo was immediately cut off by a second wave of petals. Another bakudo from behind sent Ichigo flying straight out of the trees, petals and captains close behind. The night sky immediately lit up with glinting petals and Ichigo finally realized just how many there were. Flashing and whirling in an impressive dance, Ichigo was almost too busy with the deadly petal swarm and kido spells to notice the air had gotten suspiciously thick with the arrival of the captains. As Renji's commander and the lunatic scientist finally came into view, the petals abruptly stopped attacking Ichigo to surround all three, cutting off his chances of escape. It felt like being in the eye of a storm._

_"There are few who would be able to rival my speed, and fewer still who could match Senbonzakura's speed. I admit that you have proven... surprising... But even trash is allowed a miracle. Your luck has run out, ryoka." The raven haired captain stated coldly._

_But Ichigo wasn't paying attention to him. In the darkness of night, he hadn't been able to see what was making the air thick until the glowing pink storm of petals surrounded them and made a strange fog apparent. When the captain had been speaking, Ichigo had been watching the fog swirling in the torrent created by the captain's zanpakuto - Senbonzakura. Years of experience made Ichigo immediately clamp a hand over his mouth in an effort to stop breathing in what he assumed was poison. Skin tingling, Ichigo frantically began wrapping the limitless supply of bandages from Zangetsu's hilt around his exposed skin. If he'd just had Shiro's regenerative abilities, he could fight this. Seeing his actions, the maniac beside Renji's commander grinned._

_"An astute reaction, and impressively quick at that - not all are so wary to_ poison. _" He said with a malicious grin. The other captain immediately snapped his head around to look at him in mild alarm (as much as such an emotionless man could display)._

_"Poison? You did not inform me you would be using poison, Mayuri." He said, narrowing his eyes sharply. Mayuri rolled his eyes, but didn't bother to stop grinning._

_"There was no need, this poison isn't lethal to shinigami. What makes it lethal is the presence of very specific types of reiatsu and reishi composition, specifically those that make up the key components of hollows. A single dose is enough to kill an army of gillians, but seeing as this hollow was able to do the same, I planned ahead and have released_  eight _times the normal dose - sufficient to just keep from killing my subject. Admittedly my calculations are far from satisfactory as I have not had ample time to analyze the subject and determine the chances of resistance, but that is what you are here for after all, Byakuya." Mayuri said with a pointed look._

_Byakuya neglected to reply and turned back to Ichigo with a disapproving air. Ichigo went to growl at the unwanted attention, but began choking instead. The air had gotten unbelievably thick, but as Ichigo continued to hack and the shinigami remained impervious, Ichigo realized it wasn't the density of the gas, but the effects of the poison making the air feel thick. Panicking, Ichigo raised Zangetsu to strike the petals only to feel an immense burning in his arms halfway through the movement. Dropping his arms and backing himself as far as he could away without touching Senbonzakura, Ichigo was choking on each breath. It felt like his throat was on fire, but at the same time he just couldn't get enough air down it. Black spittle was decorating his lips and dripping down his chin again, mingling with the same black nosebleed from before._

_"Don't bother trying to fight it, this poison needs only to be in the simple presence of your soul to begin the necessary chemical reaction. First you will experience difficulty breathing, nerve pain, vertigo, paralysis, seizure, and finally death. You are already advancing through the first two phases, but it seems your body has added another. Whatever illness you have seems to be seriously aggravated by the poison... What a fascinating ailment... I've never seen something quite like it, is it a cancer of sorts? A foreign parasite? Or is this a result of your confounding evolutionary abilities?" Mayuri questioned._

_Ichigo coughed and spit at Mayuri with a sneer. His chest was shaking with the exertion of trying to breathe right through the poison and blood, but he refused to give in to the pain. The burning in his arms had spread to light the rest of his nerves on fire, but he knew it wouldn't be enough to stop him from fighting. It was only that he needed to adjust to this type of pain, something he'd become an expert at. It hurt like hell, but this wasn't anywhere near the worst he had experienced. What these bastards expected was for him to scream and cry, to struggle against the pain. But that's not what he did. Enemies were for fighting, not pain. Why fight something that had become so natural to him? It had been a terrible lesson to learn, but Ichigo didn't fight pain anymore. He accepted it, and once he did, he found almost no limits to fighting._

_"But you probably don't even have the answers yourself, so I suppose I'll just have to wait until I cut you ope - !" Mayuri barely dodged Zangetsu, limited by the ring Senbonzakura had created._

_Swinging Zangetsu by the bandaged hilt, Ichigo struck out at both captains from a distance. This style (or Shiro's style as he thought of it) hurt his limbs a lot less and forced Byakuya to expand Senbonzakura's radius to avoid getting cut. Both captains tried to push Ichigo back and get on either side of them, but Ichigo was ready and surprised the two yet again by increasing the bandage length between his hand and Zangetsu to create a massive swinging arc that drove the two back. Ichigo took advantage of the new space to decrease his range as he moved in on them Directing Senbonzakura with one hand and casting Kiro with the other, Byakuya allowed Mayuri to cut in front to stop Ichigo from pressuring him. Grinning wildly, Mayuri fired another bakudo at Ichigo, same golden binding spell as before. But Ichigo wasn't stupid, so he dodged instead of trying to block it with Zangetsu. As expected, the spell immediately bonded with whatever it touched, snapping branches below in its vice-like grip._

_Bouncing back, Ichigo aimed straight for Mayuri's hands reaching for his sword hilt. He would make the manic captain pay for underestimating him enough to not bother drawing his blade. Watching Mayuri forced to jump back, Ichigo spit out another gob of black crud and swung at the newly revealed Byakuya. But the master of shunpo was gone in a flash with Mayuri to jump behind Ichigo. Expecting Ichigo's next attack, Byakuya jumped as far as he could behind Mayuri, drawing Senbonzakura's ring back. But Ichigo didn't turn to defend his back - he wasn't after Byakuya._

_The wall of petals exploded against Zangetsu as Ichigo cleaved an opening for himself. Realizing Ichigo had tricked him into thinning Senbonzakura's barrier by forcing him to expand and suddenly move the radius, Byakuya let the wall of petals fall to try and chase after Ichigo._

_"Use it already, you fool!" Mayuri screeched._

_Ichigo dodged another kido spell and dropped down into the trees again._

_"That damn device your subordinate gave you! Use it, damn you! Before the subject escapes!" Mayuri screamed._

_Ichigo wasn't paying any attention as he dodged trees, but the sudden exploding pain in his head stopped him dead in his tracks, stumbling and collapsing. Screaming and clutching at his head, Ichigo dully realized Byakuya was using the turtle whistle. Stars burst in Ichigo's eyes as the pain lancing through his body reached an unbearable crescendo, agony shutting down his senses. Darkness began to creep into his vision and the strange shrieking tearing up his soul became as faint as his own screams._

_Blurry figures stood above Ichigo watching as the world slipped away from him, something bright and golden enveloping his body just as everything went dark._

_Darkness._

_Voices. Faint voices speaking over him. He hurt everywhere, especially when they jostled him._

_Still dark._

_Fuzzy light began to filter in as the voices got louder. He couldn't move or speak, but he could catch pieces of what they were saying._

_"...he shouldn't...waking...so soon...not working..."_

_"No...to worry...can't fight...move...even...awake...Dazed...sensory overload..."_

_He could hear, but the words meant almost nothing to him in this state. Everything was fuzzy and clouded in overwhelming feelings. He was scared and everything was hurting. He wanted to get away. Everything got lighter and Ichigo could see blurry patches of green and brown passing beneath him quickly. Struggling furiously, Ichigo began making strange sounds in his burning throat._

_"...awake!...able...move!..."_

_"Not possible...this state...he shouldn't...able to...Certainly...fighter..."_

_Everything shifted for a moment and Ichigo hit something hard with a thud. He was on the ground... He could make out Byakuya and Mayuri now standing over him, but he still felt like he was going to crash again any moment. Some other voice caught his attention and he struggled to crane his head to the side. He saw bright red and locked eyes for a moment with Renji. But eventually Renji turned his back to Ichigo._

_That was the last thing he saw before his mind began to break down again, body struggling to register pain properly. Once again, darkness rushed in to overwhelm him._

-x-

**Uryu Ishida - Karakura High**

Uryu tapped his fingers impatiently on the side of his desk. The sound of the clock ticking away the seconds didn't help Uryu's anxiousness in the slightest as his teacher droned on about math. Or was it language arts? He honestly didn't know at this point, he'd stopped trying to pay attention to school a while ago. It's not like he needed the in school instruction, he was far enough ahead in all subjects that he could miss more than just a couple classes of instruction and still get flawless scores. No, what he needed to focus on now was his plan. The only way he was going to get any more information without being caught was if he went at night, and that left him all day to finish planning his break-in. Night was the only time clubs weren't meeting at the school, and Uryu had found out after a little research that there was a group of teachers that met in Mrs. Daan's room almost every night to go over which quincy history to teach to their students. Uryu wasn't sure which history group it was as there were different groups for each quincy school as well as actual quincy historian who unfortunately all chose similar names.

"Uryu?"

Uryu started slightly at his name and looked up to see that the classroom was almost empty. The only other students were either leaving or eating lunch like Orihime, the new kid Chad, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro huddled in a group. That was odd, didn't they usually eat on the roof?

"Uryu? Are you all right?"

His teacher's voice drew Uryu back out of his thoughts to see her watching him with concern from her desk. Uryu cleared his throat and started gathering his textbooks.

"Sorry Ochi-sama. I'm alright, I just wasn't really paying attention..." Uryu hastily explained. Misato frowned and moved out from behind her desk.

"Haven't I already told you to just call me Misato?" Misato said. Uryu sighed and nodded.

Uryu didn't understand why the woman insisted, but at the beginning of the year she had told them she didn't care about titles and such and for them to call her by her name. The only ones who regularly remembered to abide by that rule was Orihime, Tatsuki, and Ichigo. ...Ichigo. How bitterly ironic that it was only in his death that Uryu finally started caring about him and the mysteries surrounding this classmate - his family as he recently found out, even if distant. There were a lot of things packed into the incident now, but Uryu just couldn't focus on that until he found out what was going on at the academy. There was something inherently wrong and he felt it every time he walked by that prestigious school, that place he had never once considered before now a source of great unease.

"Uryu, you seem distracted today, really ever since Tuesday. I haven't heard you correct me once, Orihime had to do it for you." Misato joked as she sat down on the side of his desk (not really befitting of a teacher).

"Is everything all right?" She asked, turning her head slightly to get a better look at him. Uryu paused slightly from packing away his textbooks to answer.

"Oh, yes... I just have a lot of things I'm, uh, thinking about..." Uryu said somewhat awkwardly. It always threw him off guard when someone asked him how he really was. Misato nodded sympathetically.

"I know, everyone has had a lot to think about since Monday... You can always talk to me if there's something bothering you, you know that right?" Misato said in an uncharacteristically serious voice.

"Oh, yes, I know... But it's not like there's anything to talk about..." Uryu lied. There was so much swarming in his thoughts he didn't know how he stood it, but there wasn't anything Misato could do. She couldn't ever find out about the supernatural world just beneath her nose, or the things Uryu knew about Ichigo.

"That's not true Uryu, and you know it." Misato said with a sigh.

"I know it has to be hard, what with having the subject of Ichigo being brought up so often even outside of school." Misato said. Uryu stiffened as he panicked slightly. Did she know about the files? There was no way she knew what he was planning, or what was even going on.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean exactly." Uryu said with careful innocence. Misato looked a little surprised.

"Your father didn't tell you? He's been asked to co-perform the autopsy on Ichigo's body with Dr. Kurosaki." Misato said. Uryu blinked in surprise. Had his father told him? Wait, Dr. Kurosaki, as in Masaki's husband? Uryu realized with a certain degree of sickness that both doctors would unknowingly be dissecting their own nephew.

"Why are they doing the autopsy now, shouldn't they have done it a long time ago?" Uryu asked. Misato scratched her head.

"Normally, but for some reason there was this big mix up and the autopsy date ended up being moved twice. After that the guy who was supposed to do it quit unexpectedly, and no one could get a hold of his replacement. I heard that Dr. Kurosaki wasn't supposed to help with the autopsy at all, but the normal assistant sheet was never updated and a deceased doctor was scheduled for the autopsy. Apparently it was all rather last minute..." Misato continued to talk about what she'd heard, but Uryu wasn't really listening.

He knew who the deceased doctor was that hadn't been taken off the assistant sheet. His father hadn't been able to bear taking Uryu's grandfather's name off the assistant sheet after he had passed in an accident, especially when it had been his grandfather's last operation, an autopsy assistant. But that was back when his father was still a father, back when his mother was still alive and they were happy. They were both broken up about it back then, spending many a night with Uryu in the room his grandfather had lived in with them because Uryu couldn't stop himself from going in there. But then Kanae died almost a year later. Now his father refused to go in that room, turned it into an office so all traces of his father was gone, all memories of the grandfather who had loved his family so much he chose to live with them instead of retiring. It didn't matter that he never used it as an office, he'd still tried to erase Uryu's grandfather from their life, and it had hurt Uryu more than he cared to admit. That had been the final straw in realizing that his father was not who he thought he was. He was cold, distant, and uncaring.

"...and I really mean that Uryu." Misato finished sincerely. Uryu awkwardly realized she'd probably just told him something very important and reassuring, but he'd been too busy thinking to notice.

"Ah, thank you... I really should be going so I can eat." Uryu said. Misato hopped off of Uryu's desk to let him pick up his bag.

"Oh, sure, of course. Just remember what I said, I don't want you going through something all by yourself." Misato said with a reassuring smile. Uryu quickly nodded and swung his bag over his shoulder. He had a massive dangerous mystery to solve all by himself.

x

The night was deep and dark, perfect for reckless plans and mysterious dealings. Clouds obscured the moon ominously as Uryu slipped out his front door with care. Despite the absence of wind, the night was cold and crisp with the promise of autumn weather making Uryu shiver and pull his black hood down lower. At first he had opted for a black beanie to complete his all-black outfit, but remembering the fate of Ichigo's beanie, he decided against it. It had been surprisingly hard to find any black clothing, but Uryu accounted that somewhat sheepishly to his intense interest with quincy culture. But tonight he couldn't afford to don his usual stark white quincy garb he used when fighting, he'd stick out too much.

Stealing across the lawn past his father's bedroom window, Uryu fervently hoped his father had already gone to bed. He didn't much care what Uryu did, but he had a strange rule against uryu interfering with quincy matters. But he passed without incident and made it to the shadows of the sidewalk quickly. The rest of the night followed in suit as Uryu slipped through town like little more than a shadow. He'd use hirenkyaku (the quincy version of shunpo), but he didn't want to possibly tip off any quincies of his presence, so he settled for going it the old fashioned way.

It wasn't long before Uryu reached the Sogen Apartments bordering the academy's fence. His plan was to go around the back like Orihime and her friends had done and climb the fence, though this time with some quincy tools since it had been a fluke that the fence wasn't on the night of the academy incident. Checking to make sure that no one was around, Uryu sprinted across the street to the apartments. Hugging the building, Uryu prepared to cross in front of the entrance when he suddenly felt several reiatsu signatures moving his way. Diving unceremoniously into a bush, Uryu heard the front doors open to the sound of people chatting.

"Are you sure? I really don't want to be a bother." The first voice said. Uryu immediately recognized it as Orihime's, but that was strange. Her reiatsu felt way stronger than it should be.

"Kisuke did invite us to bring all our stuff." A deep voice rumbled.

"I know Chad, but I still feel like it's too much..." Orihime said. Chad, the new kid who transferred... He too was more powerful than an ordinary human. Uryu cursed himself for not noticing before at school when he was planning.

"Besides, you're barely bringing anything at all." A third voice said. This one Uryu didn't recognize, but he could immediately tell she was a shinigami from the way his gut curled at her reiatsu. Shinigami... What was one of  _them_  doing with his classmates?

"But I brought almost all the things in my apartment, except for most of my clothes." Orihime insisted.

"...You don't exactly have that much in your apartment, Orihime. From what I've seen it's just essentials and some pretty diy projects." The shinigami said. Uryu watched as they finally came into view of his bush to see all three toting packed bags. Orihime and Chad were still in their school uniforms, but the shinigami appeared to be wearing a Shino Outreach uniform on a gigai. Uryu was a little surprised to see that it was the same shinigami he'd seen lurking around town before, petite frame belaying the power Uryu sensed from her.

"Oh, I always thought I had a lot. I guess it's because I have to manage my relative's money that it feels like a lot whenever I buy something. Besides, I like making cute things rather than having to buy them." Orihime said.

"Well I'm sure Kisuke will be more than happy to give you lots of things for your apartment. I don't think the man's stopped offering you merchandise since our first meeting." The shinigami grumbled.

"I think Kisuke's just happy someone likes his merchandise, and I really do like the stuff he has. I even bought this cute candy dispenser from him!" Orihime said, producing a small candy dispenser styled like a duck from her bag. The shinigami's amethyst eyes immediately widened.

"He gave you that?!" She exclaimed. Orihime looked at her curiously.

"Yeah... He told me I could pick anything I wanted from the back of his store, so I looked around and found a box full of merchandise. I forgot what the box said, but I'm pretty sure it was an extra shipment. I don't know why, but this little candy really seemed to catch my interest, so I took it." Orihime said.

"Is something wrong with the candy?" Chad asked.

"Well, er, it's hard to explain... I never did tell you about gigais... I'll tell you about it later, just make sure to remind me. For now let's just get to Kisuke's." The shinigami said. Orihime and Chad nodded and the three left the apartments.

Once they were gone, Uryu cautiously stepped out of the bushes. That was strange, Orihime had been given a soul candy dispenser by this "Kisuke." Even Uryu recognized the mod soul commodity, but what it meant for that man to have it was strange. It sounded like Chad and Orihime were... spiritually aware? How had that happened? Not too long ago he wouldn't have considered them even the highest lowly human, but now they were talking with shinigami and walking around with that reiatsu...

Uryu shook his head. He didn't have time to focus on this. He needed to get to the academy. Looking around again, Uryu made his way across the entrance to disappear in the shadows of the apartment's side. Halfway to the back, Uryu was shocked to see that a good chunk of one of the apartments was missing. He'd heard that there had been an accident at the apartments and somebody had to stay somewhere else because of the damage, but he hadn't really payed attention. Suddenly the scene he'd just witnessed into place and he realized this must be either Orihime or Chad's apartment. What the hell kind of accident caused this, half of it looked like entire chunks had been melted away! Why was so much going on in this town?

It didn't take long for Uryu to make it to the back of the building where the fence was closest. Checking that no one was about, Uryu sprinted the short distance to the fence and crouched by the edge. Pulling out his quincy cross from underneath his sleeve, Uryu let a tiny bit of his power flow into the cross and flicker to life, a small glowing blue dot shining in his hand. He then took the cross and tapped it twice against the fence, just enough contact to let him feel the energy of the electricity powering the fence. He'd never tried to gather anything other than reishi before with his quincy abilities, but electricity was shockingly close to it, akin to a liquid form of the original reishi state. Uryu closed his eyes to concentrate and tentatively reached out to the electricity in the fence, finding it more than ready to flow into his growing bow. A slight tingling sensation filled Uryu's hands as he converted the electricity through it's ambient reishi into real reishi with his bow, but he ignored it. Opening his eyes, Uryu was surprised to see that his bow was almost complete. Hopefully he hadn't taken too much and caused the fence to power down, but even if he did it would only be for a brief while. His goal was after all to de-activate the section of the fence he wanted to cross over so he wouldn't get electrocuted or caught. Normal humans didn't know this, but the fence wasn't just powered to shock intruders. It had special sensors rigged with the electricity to sense the intruder as well thanks to the many integrations of science with the supernatural achieved by quincies.

Uryu quickly tested the fence by tapping it in the same way you would to test how hot a plate is before determining that he'd successfully de-activated that part of the fence. Satisfied, Uryu stood up and released his formed bow of reishi into the air until it had completely mixed with the ambient reishi, careful not to let his own reiatsu leave an impression. He quickly scrambled up the fence to silently drop down the other side and ran to the building careful to avoid any tripping hazards (he'd been forced to hear all about how Keigo had damaged his oh so handsome face by tripping over nearly everything during his break-in). Once he reached the building, Uryu peeked in one of the windows to see which class it was.

_Room 113...I need 102._

Uryu counted down the classrooms as he traveled along the building, finally stopping at what could only be room 102. Luckily it was empty as he looked in to the darkened classroom, eerily familiar to his first excursion at the academy. Fiddling with the side of the window, Uryu pulled out a strange looking contraption from his coat and slipped the long end through the window crack. It was an old trick that his grandfather had taught him to use in case he ever forgot his house key back when window-cranks were still widely used by quincies for their old-fashioned feel. Most buildings had been remodeled to replace the outdated mechanisms once quincies had begrudgingly admitted that tradition was only good for so much, but larger buildings like the academy hadn't bothered to replace them because there were already century old seals placed on them to activate in the case of an emergency. That was the same reason Uryu's house still had window cranks. That and Uryu secretly wanted to keep them so he could still sneak in and out...

A small creak made Uryu wince as the contraption slid freely out. Looking around again, Uryu slid his slender fingers underneath the window edge to pry it open as far as it would go without being cranked. Once it was cracked open, Uryu slid his hand through to just barely grasp the window crank. It was a little awkward, but eventually Uryu got the window open enough to be able to slip (fall) inside.

Quickly jumping back up to brush himself off, Uryu looked around the classroom before cranking the window closed. Walking over to the desk, Uryu pulled out a small flashlight and turned it on. There wasn't anything all that interesting on the desk, so Uryu gave it a quick once over before going back to the bottom drawer he'd first stumbled upon. The strange quincy cross was gone, but Uryu was game to try and open it again. To his surprise, the drawer wasn't locked anymore. Opening it up, Uryu rifled through the contents until got to the bottom where the file was supposed to be... Why wasn't it there? Ichigo's beanie wasn't there either as he searched through the drawer again. How the hell was he supposed to get more evidence now?!

Frustrated, Uryu stood up in the darkened classroom... Just in time to notice the dark figures approaching through the the classroom windows. Uryu's heart stopped as he froze.

_Shit shit shit, what are people doing here?!_

Panicking, Uryu whirled around desperately trying to find a place to hide. The only places were the teacher's desk and... the teacher's closet! Uryu scrambled to get inside the teacher's closet, moving spare quincy outfits and supply boxes in front of him to squish himself as far back in as possible. Uryu heard keys jingle just as he closed the doors. Heart beating furiously, Uryu listened as someone unlocked the classroom door and opened it with a click. Hushed murmuring told Uryu that it was a rather large group of people entering the class. It was lucky for Uryu that he'd been disguising his reiatsu ever since he'd left his house because he immediately sensed seven adult quincies enter the class, probably teachers. Four were echt quincy and three were gemischt, surprising considering this academy was for gemischts and mostly taught by them. But Uryu wasn't as focused on the type of quincy they were as he was with the one figure he immediately recognized...Mrs. Daan. Uryu was bitterly glad in this moment his father had forced him to go through such rigorous stealth training.

The door clicked behind the adults as they continued to talk to each other in hushed voices. Shuffling near the closet made Uryu stiffen as he heard the figures moving closer. Now they were close enough that he could actually hear what they were saying, but it wasn't words. It sounded more like...chanting? Listening intently, Uryu began to recognize the curious words for what they were - enchantments. What was so odd was that none of the teachers were using their reiatsu with the technique they were using as was customary. The reason Uryu hadn't recognized the enchantment at first was because it was ancient even by quincy standards. The only reason he knew about it was because his grandfather had taught him about it and he recognized Old German. From what he could hear, it was a binding enchantment to stop others outside the enchanted area from eavesdropping and trespassing...

The chanting stopped and Uryu leaned forward with his senses in the silence. Well he certainly didn't feel anyth- The room suddenly felt like it was going to buckle under the pressure, Uryu barely stopping himself from falling. For a terrifying moment he thought that he'd tripped the enchantment, but then the pressure lifted and everyone in the room sighed. One of the more familiar figures in the room clapped their hands together and spoke.

"Alright, down to business - what was this emergency meeting for?" They asked. Something about that voice seemed so familiar to Uryu, but he couldn't quite figure out what. Someone snorted.

"Are you really that oblivious? Or do you and your twin just not check in for updates anymore?" A surprisingly youthful saccharine voice asked. This guy sounded like he was Uryu's age.

"Some of us actually have work to do,  _Luca_." The other shot back with a sneer. Uryu made a mental not to remember that name.

"Enough, Reishka had an adequate excuse for not checking in with us what with tracking down Lena." Mrs. Daan said with a sigh. Reishka? Reishka Katagiri?! It had to be, that's why her voice was so familiar to Uryu... The twin that quincy was talking about must have been Leil Katagiri. But why was his mother's cousins tracking down Ichigo's mother?

"Now, why was this meeting called Asch? Do we have news on the hybrid?" Mrs. Daan asked.

That one Uryu didn't know personally, but he'd heard his father and other quincies speak highly of before - gods above he was one of the Sternenritter! Everything about this "meeting" made Uryu's skin crawl as he listened in the stuffy darkness of his hiding spot. He didn't even notice that he'd clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle his breathing. Uryu felt way too hot despite how chilly the closet was. Everyone quieted their chatter to give their attention to the prominent echt quincy. It seemed Asch was this group's leader...

"Indeed... I've just received news from one of our sources in Soul Society that they have him, but the situation doesn't look good. He was apprehended by two captains a day after escaping Hueco Mundo, but not before he managed to run into one of the assets -" Asch was interrupted by Mrs. Daan.

"An asset? One of  _his_  assets? You don't think this was an attempt to secure the subject for himself, do you?" Mrs. Daan asked. From the way Mrs. Dan said "he," it sounded like the owner of the mystery assets was rather important, perhaps a rival?

"Considering this asset left it's original position of release in Hueco Mundo to hide in the Soul Society long before the subject's birth, it is likely an unfortunate coincidence. He may be interested in the subject, but does not yet know his true nature. It is imperative that he remains in the dark about the subject and about us if we are to maintain any hope of gaining his trust. But now that the subject's being taken as a subject by Captain Mayuri for research..." Asch said. A round of quiet swearing ensued.

"I told you we should have just went to Hueco Mundo and taken that abomination!" Luca hissed.

"If was too soon to go after him, not when we're still trying to get his mother." Reishka said in a huff. Someone clicked their tongue.

"Never should have allowed that woman to live after her failure. The Godeberts were always rotten to our cause, should have just taken her impure spawn and executed her." A deep masculine voice rumbled. Uryu's stomach twisted.

They were talking about Lena, so her "spawn" had to be Ichigo... He was a hybrid? Why was he in Hueco Mundo? Suddenly everything clicked and Uryu had to stop himself from choking. Ichigo must have turned into a hollow after he killed himself, that was why he was in Hueco Mundo. Uryu had heard alerts of a rogue hollow evolving to sentience at a shocking rate, and that had to have been Ichigo. He probably evolved before leaving Hueco Mundo to go to the Soul Souciety, but he must not have been able to hide himself for long enough. Now Ichigo was Captain Mayuri's science project... Uryu sucked in a silent breath in the dark, almost sneezing from inhaling the musky scent of the uniforms tickling his nose. He'd heard terrible stories of what the lunatic captain did to his subjects. Ichigo would live, but such an existence was no longer worth it in the madman's lab.

"There were a lot of things we should have done, Kastov, but we still thought the hybrid was a failure back then. We never could have imagined that it was our own brothers and sisters doing that his powers only be released in death, let alone develop unbeknownst to us." Asch said.

They thought he was a failure? This was sounding like something they had planned, but Ichigo's mother had messed up their plans in some way. Their "brothers and sisters" had probably placed a seal of some sort on Ichigo to prevent him from gaining his quincy powers before his death, but if that was the case, why had he turned into a hollow after he died? Ichigo was a living human, so the most likely hybrid he would be was a human-shinigami-quincy hybrid since his mother guaranteed he was a quincy and hollows were the opposite of quincies. And yet... They couldn't have... no! There was no way a soul with blood from all four races could exist, such a soul would be unbelievably unstable. The chance that it would survive in the womb let alone through birth was near impossible, and the soul would have to have one hell of a will to live...

"It doesn't matter our past decisions, we need to figure out what to do  _now_." A feminine voice said. Uryu heard the others grunt in agreement.

"Couldn't we just send the Nejireta to retrieve him?" Mrs. Daan asked.

"That's the other reason we needed this meeting - the scout we released in the World of the Living was killed yesterday..." Someone sounding similar to Reishka said somewhat tentatively. Probably Leil. Uryu immediately felt the atmosphere become heavy.

"..."

"...And how did this happen?" Asch asked in a deceptively calm voice. Uryu could hear the other shifting in the tense silence.

"We're, we're not entirely s-sure what happened, but we do know it happened when the scout was on one of its hunts near the park... but, um, the corpse isn't there anymore..." They said.

"WHAT?! How the hell did it go missing - you and your creepy-ass twin are supposed to take care of this shit!" Luca exclaimed.

"I already had a mission, and maybe Leil would have had an easier time handling the Nejireta if YOU hadn't fucked up and first let it loose in the Academy you snot-nosed rotzlöffel  _kotzbrocken_  -" Reishka's colorful rant was cut off by Mrs. Daan.

"ENOUGH! Do you have any idea what this means?! Who in the world would take a mysterious creature's corpse without alerting any of the authorities? Anybody come to mind, hmm?!" Mrs. Daan asked quickly, panicky voice patronizing.

"Sheisse!" Someone swore.

"That damn shopkeeper..." Luca hissed. Asch sighed through his teeth. Shopkeeper?

"It seems our era of hiding is over - there's no way that man doesn't know about us now. I always knew confrontation with him was inevitable, but it seems we have no choice now but to move all our plans up. No doubt that man is already finding ways to fight this, so we need to hit before he does." Asch said.

"All plans? But won't retrieving the vessel so soon raise suspicion?" Mrs. Daan asked. Vessel? What the hell were they talking about?

"Not if we manage to take the hybrid back before the shinigami find out who he is - if they were aware of his identity, Mayuri would not be allowed to experiment. It's more than likely that the scientist has neglected to make the Gotei aware of his newest subject beyond allowing the captain assisting in capture to report the incident as nullified." Asch said.

"So we speed things up and take the abomination home, what then? We still don't have anybody set up for crowd control and we already have two loose ends." Someone said.

"Two? I thought Lena was the only one we were trying to take care of." Luca said. Mrs. Daan cleared her throat.

"Chiri ended up with an assignment before we could call a meeting. I took a look at Ishida's family records and found that we were right to try and get an older family tree - Lena does have relatives in the area. Worse yet is that they happen to be the Kurosakis, and we've all heard that Masaki's husband was added to the autopsy. This could just be because of the screw up with the assistant, but it's also very possible that he took the position as a gesture to Lena..." Mrs. Daan said.

"You really think Masaki is aware of her relation to Lena and the hybrid? Wouldn't they have contacted them before now?" Leil asked.

"We think Lena went to Masaki after she realized we were tracking her. It would explain why it's been so difficult to nab her." Chiri said.

"If that's the case, then we'll wait until Chiri figures out whether or not the Kurosakis know anything. And if they do..." Asch trailed off.

"That would be rather unfortunate..." Chiri finished ominously. Uryu's breath caught. He had to warn the Kurosakis before these people got to them!

"And Lena?" Mrs. Daan asked.

"I doubt she'll stay hidden for long. The police are bound to charge her with child abuse, so I suspect she may try to run soon, but we'll be ready." Asch replied.

"Wow... Things are lining up pretty quick then... This is all really happening, isn't it? We've waited so long..." Luca said suddenly. Asch chuckled quietly, an entirely unpleasant sound that sent a shiver down Uryu's back.

" _You've_  waited? I've been waiting for this since the very beginning... since I first learned the Pride of the Quincy from my father and his father and his father before him... We, God's chosen were never meant to live among the filth of humans, restricted by shinigami  _müll_  and mocked by those hollow  _greuel_. Quincies sind die heiligen Krieger und Richter dieser Welt, und unser Recht ist göttlich..." Asch said. The others hummed in agreement and echoed the phrase in german.

_Oh God..._

Uryu had said those same words countless times before, a righteous mantra every quincy learned and held in their heart with fierce pride. The only quincy Uryu had known who didn't say those words was his grandfather, but even that hadn't stopped the swell of pride Uryu felt when he said those words, or the contempt when he spat them out to curse some shinigami or arrancar...

Quincies sind die heiligen Krieger und Richter dieser Welt, und unser Recht ist göttlich.

_Quincies are the holy warriors and judges of this world, and our right is divine._

Now these words made him feel sick. This was wrong, so wrong. These people had the same values that he did, but they, they were murderers! No, no this isn't what quincies were supposed to be! Quincies were supposed to... Quincies are...

_Quincies are the holy warriors and judges of this world, and our right is divine._

Uryu's mind was reeling, breathing getting faster without his knowledge until he was panting in the darkness. The darkness of the closet he was hiding in...

"Does anyone else hear that?" Chiri asked.

Uryu clamped his hand back over his mouth, but it was too late.

"Hear what?" Mrs. Daan asked.

"Well I thought I heard something over there, but it's stopped now..." Chiri said. Uryu could almost imagine her pointing directly at the closet as his heart pounded.

"Better safe than sorry." The one Asch had called "Kastov" grunted.

Uryu's muffled breathing hitched when he heard the shuffle of movement from across the room. Oh god, he was going to find him... Sweat dripping down his back, Uryu silently panicked about his newest predicament. Dammit, all Kastov had to do was move the spare uniforms aside and he'd see Uryu... What the hell was he supposed to do?! It's not like he could actually fight these quincies let alone manage to run away from them! Logically, killing him would raise too much trouble for them - but they were already talking about murder and were clearly more than willing, so they probably had ways to cover anything up... Maybe he could convince them his father knew he was here and if they did anything to him he would know to look here first! That would make it so -

The scrape of a desk being moved out of the way closer to Uryu made him jump. He was shaking uncontrollably now, none of his quincy training having prepared him for having to fend off murder from his own kind.

T-that would make it so they would have no choice but to try and move him somewhere else to try and kill him, hopefully leaving him room to escape. From there he would have to run to the nearest place of help depending on where they decide to take him, preferably an Outreach center since a fellow quincy would probably have trouble believing he was in danger from his own kind. Shinigami would at least offer him sanctuary and organize one of their blasted investigations, but getting the Gotei involved would increase his chances of -

The shuffle of feet just outside the closet mad Uryu immediately flinch and stiffen, jittery stream of desperate thoughts frozen in fear.

Gods above he did not want to go out like this... Sweating buckets in that tiny closet, Uryu struggled to keep logical ideas of escape going, but his concentration was seriously faltering. What if he couldn't escape? What if they didn't believe him and just decided to kill him right here, right now? What if they let him go only so they could arrange an accident later? What if they did make it look like an accident so no one would suspect anything - that's what they had to have done with his mother! Oh god, would his father even investigate? How would he react?

Uryu no longer needed to hold his hand over his mouth as the closet doors opened with a small click and flew open. Uryu's mind froze again as he saw a hand reaching for the uniforms from a small gap in between the uniforms covering him. He felt Kastov grab onto one of the uniforms right by his shoulder and -

Sudden shrill beeping made the hand withdraw from the closet and fiddle around with something. Uryu couldn't breathe even if he wanted to, every fiber of his being stock-still in fear as Kastov stood inches away from discovering him.

"Yes?" Kastov grunted somewhat impatiently. Distant murmuring followed.

"...I see. Goodbye." Kastov growled before shutting something closed with far more force than necessary. With that, the doors slammed shut on Uryu shocking him out of his daze. He immediately slumped against the back of the closet, back to shaing like a leaf.

"What was that?" Reishka asked. Uryu took advantage of their sudden distraction to gulp in air in short gasps.

_Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit..._

"The hybrid's been moved straight into the lab." Kastov replied. A chorus of disbelief and groans followed.

"What?! They can't just put him in there right away - they have to wait until he's registered!" Luca exclaimed. Mrs. Daan huffed.

"No, Luca, they really don't. Those shinigami pigs don't care about whether the subject is brought in legally or not, all they care is whether or not it's healthy enough for experimenting." Mrs. Daan said wearily.

_And they were so much better..._

"Well, that does complicate things again... But maybe this is for the best..." Asch sighed.

"I don't know how our centuries of plans going to shit helps us, but it's not the first time we've had to adapt." Chiri said.

"Well if we're quite done with the surprises, I'd say it's high time we disband and set about our tasks." Mrs. Daan said. The others hummed in agreement.

Uryu waited impatiently for the quincies to finish leaving, taking care not to make anymore noise. Finally it was just Mrs. Daan in the classroom scooting desks back into place and checking the seats. Eventually she too left and Uryu could breathe freely.

What the hell had just happened? How did nobody else know that there was an honest to gods  _Quincy cult_  meeting in the school?! But then again, Asch had made it sound like this group had been around since before the schools were even a thing... If they'd been around for this long, they probably had ties and control everywhere, which left Uryu pretty limited in his options. He couldn't very well tell his father, and telling the Kurosakis would probably just put them in more danger. That meant Uryu would just have to find some other way to warn them, maybe get Masaki to reach out to her sister? Yeah, that would work pretty well if he met under the pretense of them being family and all, then subtly bring up the subject of Ichigo. Ichigo... Uryu tried not to imagine what he was going through right now.

-xx-

**Ichigo Godebert**

_._

_._

_._

_Stinging._

_Nothing._

_More stinging._

_No, not stinging..._

_Burning._

_BURNING._

_BURNING!_

Ichigo screamed in pain as he came to, writhing in pain against the cold metal digging into his shoulder blades. His head was filled with a confusing cacophony of beeping, whirring, and voices drifting in and out of earshot. All Ichigo could see was a blinding overhead light throwing the rest of the room into darkness. Panting and screaming again as the burning increased, Ichigo realized he was being held down on a table with restraints, black material painfully cutting into his flesh in an all too familiar feeling. Sweat and blood mixed together on Ichigo's naked body as he shook the examination table with his struggling, wild eyes screwed shut in pain. Thin tubes sticking out of his chest and IV's in his arms caught on machines with his struggles. He tried to scream more, but thick black blood bubbled up instead and Ichigo choked on it.

Disembodied hands in once white gloves forced Ichigo's mouth open to shove a gauzey device down his throat and clear the blood. Gagging and coughing against the hands, Ichigo took a breath from his recently freed throat only to gurgle on more blood as his chest spasmed.

"Apply the tubes and run the processor again. Nemu! Nemu what did I say about wandering off?!" A voice exclaimed behind Ichigo's head.

The hands came back again with a series of tubes they proceeded to slide down Ichigo's throat and nose. Ichigo screamed in protest, but the tubes slithered down nonetheless to suck out blood and force him to breathe.

"Apologies, taichou, but I was just checking vitals as you had ordered me to do when the subject gained conscious - " Ichigo's eyes began rolling back into his head halfway through the girl's answer as his body began to shake violently.

"Nevermind that, insolent girl! Someone turn down the converter before we lose consciousness again!" The voice screeched.

Figures rushed by Ichigo in the darkness as he struggled to stay awake through the pain, vision blurring incoherently. Eventually the burning began to decrease and the world returned to Ichigo. Groaning, Ichigo tried to turn his head to see into the darkness edging the overhead light, but the restraint holding his head in place prevented him.

"Can you hear me?" The voice asked, now by Ichigo's shoulders. Ichigo strained his eyes to try and see, just making out a figure moving towards him.

"Well you are awake and focusing on the direction of my voice, so I'm just going to assume yes without verbal confirmation..." The voice said as it stepped right beside the table into the light. Mayuri grinned mirthlessly down at Ichigo.

"You have made it quite difficult to get good results with your pesky illness, but I must admit I am not entirely upset at this turn of events. You suffer from something I've never seen before, and it appears to be delightfully puzzling!" Mayuri said with a sadistic gleam in his eyes.

"What I have been able to deduce is exciting news for me, but less than favorable for you; the disease attacking your body appears to be an advanced form of cancer, particularly reminiscent of cystic fibrosis as the main area of infection is your lungs. The cancer cells multiplying result in thousands of tiny pustule-like tumors that act like sweat glands, but instead of sweat, they excrete liquid waste - the black blood you so kindly spit at me." Mayuri said, holding up a small vial of the stuff to shake in front of Ichigo's face.

"This is what's been blocking up your lungs, your body's version of nuclear waste. Your regeneration powers - yes, I know - are the only thing keeping you alive, and even then you shouldn't be. If this was the only problem with your body, I could probably chalk this all up to a freak genetic disorder or a nasty encounter with something highly radiated, but it's obviously not. It's as if your very soul is rotting, muscles, tissue, bone, you name it - all decaying. Your body can only replace so much of your soul at a time… Perhaps high-speed regeneration would stall the disease for a time, but that only delays the inevitable. You're dying." Mayuri said.

Ichigo couldn't answer thanks to the tubes, so instead he just glared at the scientist as best as he could. He wanted to spit at him again, show him just how alive he was. He knew his body was dying, but he wouldn't. But strapped down to a table trembling and struggling to stay awake, he didn't look very intimidating. But at least he wouldn't cry. He would never do that for the bastard, he wasn't scared. That was the last thing they would get from him, the satisfaction of seeing fear and pain. All he'd ever give them hate, as much as he could muster to convey in his eyes.

Mayuri hummed at Ichigo's reaction, regarding him with calculating eyes. Ichigo hated that. He hated when they looked at him like that, dropping eye contact immediately. He couldn't help it, it was a gut reaction. Besides, looking people in the eyes freaked him out enough as it was.

"Most would would be at least a little upset at this news… But I'm guessing you already know, or simply don't care. It doesn't matter to me. All I care to know is what is causing all this damage to your body, radiation? Experimentation? The effects seem to be an environmental product…" Mayuri said, pausing when Ichigo twitched slightly at those words. Mayuri leaned in closer to Ichigo who tried his best not to react, but failed miserably.

"Oh I know you know something, but your scars tell me forcing you to tell me is a lost cause… No matter. It won't be long before my assistants properly analyze your soul and zanpakuto -" Ichigo's eyes widened." - and we'll know everything from your blood type to what abilities you contain. No doubt this will also reveal how you managed to connect with Nara's soul." Mayuri said. Connection? Not seeing whatever reaction he was looking for, Mayuri studied Ichigo's face with sudden interest before grinning.

"Don't tell me that you don't know - surely even someone as  _simple_  as you recognizes what you did with Nara was abnormal!" Mayuri sneered. Ichigo mentally recoiled from the all too familiar insult. Mayuri began to slowly pace around Ichigo as he spoke, making Ichigo flinch every time he came too close.

"Byakuya's sixth seat explained to me a rather impossible feat you managed in his private report to me during your battle with the Necromancer. By all accounts, there was no way that you could have removed the Necromancer from Nara's soul; once hollowification begins, you cannot reverse the process. And yet when you pierced Nara with your zanpakuto, you made a connection with her soul deeper than physical barriers would allow. Scientists and even I myself have tried and failed for centuries to force the kind of connection you made, but only someone with the power of a god could do this..." Mayuri said. Mayuri stopped pacing at Ichigo's head.

"And yet the only gods to be found are us, beings with spiritual talents. The mere idea of a god is ridiculous and any power akin to it is only achieved in the same calculated method as every other power in this world. All it takes is the equation and the right tools and I..." Mayuri leaned in again over Ichigo "...am an expert at testing equations..."

An unseen switch flipped somewhere in the darkness and a weird gushing sound came from Ichigo's right. One of the IV tubes in his arms began to fill with a bright pink liquid, Ichigo making muffled sounds of panic as the liquid filled the thin tubes. As the liquid continued to filter through the tubes, the burning pain Ichigo had first felt began to build again from the dull sensation it had settled for. It didn't take long for the sensation to overwhelm Ichigo again, agony setting his nerves on fire as he screamed and thrashed about on the table. Ichigo didn't even register when Mayuri moved back into the darkness to leave him alone on the table.

* * *

 **Rotzlöffel**  - snot-spoon (brat)

 **Kotzbrocken**  - lump of puke

 **Sheisse**  - shit

 **Müll**  - trash

 **Greuel**  - abominations

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The window crank thing is legit, all you need is a stick, a ladder, and close fitting clothes so you don't snag on the window while you're going through. Most windows with cranks have screens on them, but they also have a little catch you can pop open to remove the screen in case of a fire, so all you have to do is jiggle the screen and get one corner loose. The only problem is most crank windows are pretty old and tend to stick when they're closed, so if it's closed and not letting you pry it open, just give up. Trust me, it's better that way.  
> Sorry that I don't have any fanart this time, I just didn't have the necessary materials available to me for a variety of reasons I won't get into. I might update this chapter once I do get my hands on the stuff I need with the sketches I've drawn, or I might just wait until the next chapter to post it.  
> Thank you all so much for the feedback, feel free to let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 11: Oh Boy Now the Kurosakis Are Involved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter you actually need to lowkey know the timeline for things that have happened but it's kind of whack since so many things happened, so I'll just put it here:  
> Friday - Ichigo kills himself  
> \- 2 days pass -  
> Monday - Chad and Orihime have a wild time with Sora, Rukia spills the spirit tea, and Yuzu meets Ichigo  
> Tuesday - Kisuke gives the low-down on secret-town, Uryu finds the nuclear launch codes at the academy, and Ichigo yeets himself out of Hueco Mundo  
> Wednesday - Ichigo meets Ori, Nara goes sicko mode, and Ichigo's captured  
> Thursday - Ichigo has a fun time in Mayuri's lab and Uryu spies on the cult  
> \- 3 days pass -  
> Sunday - That's where this chapter is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner thoughts/speech_

**Chapter 11: Oh Boy Now the Kurosakis Are Involved**

-x-

**Uryu Ishida**

Uryu took a deep breath and steadied himself.  _Alright..._

Uryu knocked curtly on the door, back straight and head held high as he waited politely for the door to open, the picture of cool composure -

"URYUUUUU!"

Uryu cried out in surprise as someone threw open the front door and barreled into him before he could even bow.

"Urk - !" Uryu felt the larger man crushing him with a massive bear-hug.

"GIRLS YOUR COUSIN IS HEEEEEERE!" The man hollered as he continued to break Uryu's ribs. Yuzu and Karin appeared at the door, mother not far behind as they hurried to get to Uryu before he passed out.

"Let go Dad! You're going to kill him!" Karin grunted as she helped pry the ...enthusiastic... man off of Uryu. Masaki just shook her head with a smile before helping steady Uryu.

"Sorry about that, Isshin's just excited to be meeting you for the first time. We're all so glad you asked to meet with us, though it is a shame your father was too busy to come..." Masaki said with a warm smile. Uryu rubbed his sore sides.

"...Er, yes... He regrets not being able to meet today..." Uryu coughed. It was a complete lie of course, his father refused to meet with any family they had left beyond distant relatives. Hell, he didn't even tell Uryu that he had an aunt and two cousins in Karakura - he'd had to find out from a secret cult!

"Well it certainly took  _you_  long enough to actually come by." Karin said with a huff. Uryu looked at her with mild surprise.

"You knew we were related?" Uryu asked. Masaki and Isshin looked at each other.

"...You didn't?" Masaki asked. Uryu winced internally and shook his head. He probably should have just acted like he knew all along, but he supposed they had to know his father was trying to cut them out of his life.

"No, my father never told me about my family beyond my grandfather. I knew I had an aunt and baby cousins when I was younger, but after my - well, everything... he never said anything else. I guess that's why I never ended up meeting you either." Uryu said. Isshin gave a sad smile that surprised Uryu and nodded.

"I'm not really surprised... Your father and I actually used to be friends in those days and had planned on everyone meeting for a long time, but things changed between us pretty quickly. Well, either way... We just figured you were too busy with your extra special training!" Isshin said the last part with a complete 180 in attitude, emphatically winking at Uryu and elbowing him.

_What did my father tell this man? Shit, what club or program do I have to pretend to be in now?!_

"A-ah, well, er yes, my activities were consuming -" Uryu's awkward lies were interrupted by Karin's usual blunt self.

"What, you got crazy spirit powers too?" She asked with crossed arms. Uryu choked as Masaki and Isshin just laughed.

"Relax Uryu, we all know about the spiritual world! I am related more than directly enough to quincy families to be considered a quincy." Masaki said with a humorous smile.

"Yeah, Mom's an Echt Quincy!" Karin said with a smirk.  _An Echt Quincy?!_

"And you...?" Uryu said with a wary look at Isshin waiting for the next surprise.

"WORK!" Isshin blurted. Uryu opened his mouth to speak, but Isshin was already bolting back into the house.

"I HAVE LOTS OF WORK SO SORRY SEE YOU BYE HAVE FUN!" He yelled in his frantic flight. Uryu turned to Masaki to ask what that was about, but she was already ushering him inside. What the hell was happening here?! He'd been preparing for this for  _three days_  but all it took was opening that door to throw him completely off...

"Why don't I get you some tea and we can catch up?" She asked as she steered Uryu into the living room.

"Erm yes, that's fine..." Uryu said as he sat down on one of the couches.

"Would you like any, girls?" Masaki called from the kitchen.

"No thanks, I've got homework I need to work on." Yuzu called back, waving to Uryu before disappearing up a set of stairs.

"Same for me, but I'll be working in the dining room if you need me." Karin said.

"Well... alright, you two have met Uryu before and see him outside of school..." Masaki said.

With that Uryu was left alone on the couch, patiently waiting as Masaki prepared a cup of tea for the two of them. He couldn't help but look around and think how ...homey... this place was. Everything was bright yet relaxed from the dozens of smiling pictures to the random knit blankets and soccer trophies. It was well-lived-in, as they say. Completely different from Uryu's home which was fairly sparse aside from the essentials and occasional quincy embellish.

"Here we go - I hope green tea is alright." Masaki said placing a cup on the coffee table in front of Uryu, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, that's fine." Uryu said. Masaki took her own seat across from Uryu and took a sip of her tea.

"I must say, you act just like your father when it comes to manners, though maybe a little friendlier." Masaki said with a warm smile. Uryu knew she meant it as a compliment, but being compared to his father still turned his tea bitter.

"...So I've been told." Uryu said. Masaki nodded and sighed.

"Well I should probably be helping you with your genealogy project now. A little ironic given all the surprises today, hmm?" Masaki hummed with a slight smirk. The second lie of the day.

"I suppose, though Quincy bloodlines can get quite confusing when the records get tampered with. Your cousin Lena doesn't show up in official quincy records, and neither does Ichigo -" Masaki interrupted Uryu with a confused expression.

"Cousin? Wha - Uryu I've never heard of any family relations beyond my own parents and they've long since passed. Who is this Lena person?" Masaki asked. Uryu felt a twinge of guilt having baited her, but this was the safest way of indirectly warning her.

"You didn't know? My father's records show that your father's sister married a man from the deceased Godebert line, their daughter being your cousin Lena Godebert. Though I did notice that the entire Godebert family was erased for some reason..." Uryu said with false confusion. Masaki's eyes immediately hardened.

"...I see... I don't suppose you would know this, but Quincy families weren't always so close-knit. It's one of the more sordid pieces of quincy past, and many have tried very hard to erase that part of our past. There used to be a real divide between Gemischt and Echt quincies, enough that some families took to... erasing other families... I won't say much about it, but my family was one of those caught up in the conflict trying to convince the other Echt quincies to cease the fighting. They were one of the last families to perish... so it's not that far-fetched that families related to mine have been erased." Masaki said.

Uryu swallowed. He was learning so much about his people this week, so much disturbing information... Seeing Uryu's discomfort, Masaki shook her head as if to clear the bad memories, normal smile mostly back in place.

"Ah, but bad blood isn't what you or I should be concerned about. Those things happened a long time ago, and quincies have since toned down our emphasis on purity. I'm beginning to think Yuzu and Karin will get to see quincies living peacefully with each other and the rest of the races, without this prejudice or hate." Masaki said with a sigh. Uryu swallowed again. It was then that Karin spoke up from her place in the dining room.

"So Lena is mom's cousin, and Ichigo was Lena's son..." She said, carefully picking her way across her words.

"...Are you saying, that Ichigo was related to us...?" Karin asked in a strange voice. Masaki looked at her with a frown.

"Well yes, didn't you used to play with him in the park? I could've sworn you mentioned him teaching you some soccer trick or other... Honey what's wrong?" Masaki asked suddenly. Karin had gone surprisingly pale and looked rather upset.

_That's right... Karin probably knew about Ichigo too..._

Seeing that Karin wasn't going to answer, Uryu cleared his throat.

"Ichigo killed himself on Friday..." Uryu said. Masaki gave a slight gasp.

"Oh, oh honey I had no idea Ichigo was that student who... I need to talk with your father once he's done with his work..." Masaki said, slightly pale herself.

"...I saw him the day he killed himself... I made fun of him when I saw him putting rocks in his pockets..." Karin said, voice cracking at the end. Uryu's stomach turned at the horrible reminder. He'd been there too. Masaki immediately got up and went to her daughter, enveloping her in a fierce hug. Karin tried to protest at first, but it didn't take long for her to sink into her mother's embrace. The warm sight tugged painfully at Uryu's memories of his own mother, and he looked away until they were done.

"I really wish you would have told me this sooner... Does your sister know?" Masaki asked. Karin shook her head.

"She didn't really make the connection, but I did. I was _right there._ " Karin said wiping her face. Uryu spoke up.

"You couldn't have known, Karin. I was there too and even I didn't see what was happening." Uryu said. Masaki offered a small grateful smile before turning to Karin again.

"Uryu's right honey, you can't blame yourself. We'll talk more about this later, but right now I need you to go hang out with Yuzu for a little while, just until I'm done talking with Uryu." Masaki said. Karin looked a little confused, but nodded and gathered her homework to leave. Once she was upstairs, Masaki sat back down next to Uryu this time.

"I'm so sorry that all this has come up during your visit Uryu, but I hope you know that you're welcome to come here and just talk any time you want." Masaki said putting a comforting hand on Uryu's shoulder. Uryu just stared at the hand and nodded, somewhat at a loss for what to do.

"Thank you... Why couldn't Karin stay down here?" Uryu asked apprehensively. They'd started their conversation with familial slaughter and ended with suicide, he didn't think he could take any worse. Masaki removed the hand and sighed.

"Karin doesn't yet know that Isshin is working on Ichigo's autopsy, and I wanted to talk to you more about Ichigo." Masaki said. Uryu shifted.

"That would be pretty upsetting." He agreed.

"Isshin told me that the information he has for the autopsy didn't list any parents, but Ichigo clearly has his mother. Is there any reason why Lena and Ichigo's father aren't there?" Masaki asked.

"Well, nobody can actually find Ichigo's father, and my father says Lena isn't really stable enough to receive the results yet." Uryu was leaving out the parts about the child abuse investigation and charges of neglect just in case it deterred Masaki from reaching out to Lena. Masaki made a sympathetic noise.

"Poor dear, it must be so hard on her going through this... You don't happen to know if any of her family has reached out to her, do you?" Masaki asked.

"I really doubt it. It turned out that Lena and Ichigo were actually really poor and were living in practically abandoned apartments. Quincy families are pretty wealthy, so if Lena was in contact with her family, she wouldn't be living in such a terrible place. She's alone as far as I know." Uryu said, pretending not to realize the depressing implications.

"No one...?" Masaki asked, brows furrowed in concern. Uryu shook his head. Masaki fell silent as her expression grew thoughtful. Uryu let her think, waiting for the inevitable result of his meddling.

"Well, I've never met my cousin before, but I think it's about time I do. No one should have to go through losing a child alone..." Masaki murmured. Uryu let out a silent sigh of relief.

"I doubt she would object to your company." Uryu said. Masaki smiled at the unexpected compliment and picked up her nearly forgotten tea.

"Well thank you Uryu, but I don't know if Lena was born into her quincy heritage. If she was and does have powers, she might be pretty wary of me... Do you know if Lena is aware?" Masaki asked. Uryu pretended to think for a moment before answering.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not really sure and it's not like I can go off of Ichigo since he never showed any signs of even being spiritually aware. I'd say it's a fifty-fifty chance." Uryu lied. Masaki sighed.

"Well in that case I'd better go alone - less threatening than a Quincy and a shin - er, doctor working on her son's autopsy showing up at her door. Do you know where she's staying?" Masaki asked.

Uryu hesitated. Should she go alone? He wanted her to know what was going on without making it obvious that she knew and possibly get more information for him, but he wasn't willing to put her in danger to achieve that. The whole point of this was that the Kurosakis stayed safe, so maybe he should offer to go with? No, the freaky cult already knew he was a quincy with powers and everything, so it would be too suspicious. At least with Masaki they weren't sure yet.

"Ah, I'm afraid not, but you could ask my father to find her. His records were the only ones that included her after all, and he does tend to keep a close eye on the quincies of Karakura." Uryu said. He hated having to involve his father, but in this case his cold logic and paranoia would come in handy. If something happened to Masaki, he wouldn't hesitate to connect the dots and do something about it. Masaki chuckled lightly.

"Yes, your father does have an uncanny ability for keeping tabs on people. He thinks he's being sneaky, but Isshin knows when he takes a peak at his records to check on him." Masaki said with a knowing smile. That was news to Uryu. He wouldn't have expected his father to actually take the time to see how his old friends were doing...

"Well, that should settle things quite nicely... Thank you for answering my questions and taking time out from your - what project are you doing again?" Masaki asked with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I forgot with everything that we've talked about."

"That's alright, I just came here looking to see if you could help me with my genealogy project. But since it seems I actually had more information than you..." Uryu trailed off, hoping to leave now that he'd done what he came here to do. Masaki set her tea down again and shook her hands.

"Oh no! I can't just let you leave empty-handed - there's got to be something useful laying around here somewhere! I have my own records too you know." Masaki said, getting up and motioning for Uryu to follow. She talked to him as she began checking one of the closets in the hall, shifting through old shoe boxes and various other knick-knacks.

"I have a box full of old memorabilia somewhere around here... Ah!" Masaki smacked her head. "I had Isshin move it during spring cleaning. I'm sure he'll know where it is." Masaki said. Uryu somehow doubted that.

"Isshin! Isshin, honey do you know where -" Masaki's calling was cut off by her husband jogging out of a bedroom frantically gesturing to the phone he was using. Masaki made a silent "ah" and waited patiently for Isshin to finish the phone call.

"Mmhm, no. Yes - no I don't know." Isshin pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What? But - okay, okay." Isshin waited for a beat before talking again.

"Fine, but I don't know if I'll be of much help. Tell him I'll be there soon." Isshin said. Once the conversation was done, Isshin turned the phone off and sighed. Uryu was surprised to see the normally energetic man actually looking quite concerned. Masaki immediately noticed her husband's change in behavior.

"Is something wrong?" Masaki asked.

"The hospital just called... They can't find Ichigo's body." Isshin said. Uryu paled.

"What?!" Masaki exclaimed. Isshin seemed just as confused.

"They can't find him - his body was supposed to be transferred to the hospital so we could perform a proper autopsy, but somewhere in the transfer his body went missing. No one knows what happened, just that his body isn't at the morgue and isn't at the hospital. To make things worse, no one can find Ichigo's mother to tell her what's happening which means the records got screwed up for the _fifth time._  Ryuken is heading there right now to try and sort things out so I'll be leaving too... I mean jeez, it's like the whole universe is trying to stop us from taking a look at the boy!" Isshin exclaimed.

_Not the whole universe, just some very dedicated quincies..._

"In that case I'll go with you so I can help sort things out. We actually know Ichigo's mother, and I'd like to talk to her today." Masaki said. Isshin's eyebrows shot up.

"We do? Why do you -" Masaki interrupted Isshin with a quick wave.

"I'll explain on the way there. Uryu do you want to ride with us to the hospital?" Masaki asked. Uryu quickly shook his head.

"I have work to be doing at home, but thank you for the offer. Thank you for letting me talk with you and the tea." Uryu said with a quick polite bow.

"In that case, we'll be off..." Isshin said as the two gathered their things.

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Voices were screaming somewhere around him, but he only heard pieces of it through a thick fog that intermediately swept him away from burning pain for unknowable amounts of time.

"I DON'T... CARE, GET... RESULTS LIKE I... YOU TO... NOW!"

"...not...we...know, we can't connect...very soul...rejecting outside... we can't even...zanpakuto without... burned!"

"...THREE DAYS! NO RESULTS FOR...TH... IMPOSSIBLE! WHAT IS HE?!...THEY... SIMPLE TESTS, A MONKEY COULD..."

"But...touch him... zanpakuto releases... explodes! We can't ente...soul without...dying!"

"...FAULT...THAT!?"

"...yes...our apologies...But we can't...his zanpakuto asleep...stays awake...what we do! It refuses...even talk...impossible...get near the subject...Half the lab... destroyed!"

"...EMU! NEMU! SET UP... ZONE...CONTAIN BLAST DURING...TEST AGAIN! HURRY UP..."

Something cold started to burn Ichigo unexpectedly and someone was screaming... but it wasn't the voices around him, it was coming from him... Was he screaming? He couldn't really tell anymore and he wasn't bothered to care, but the screaming definitely sounded more angry than pained. It didn't sound very human...

Something burst somewhere away from Ichigo and ringing filled his ears. The cold burning receded immediately as the voices got very loud. The voice in his head started cackling.

-x-

**Masaki Kurosaki**

"Yes, that should be fine. Again, thank you so much for watching the girls for us while we sorted everything out at the hospital." Masaki said into the phone trapped between her shoulder and ear.

"No need to thank me, Masaki, you know I'm more than glad to have the girls over! Besides, Orihime, Chad, and Rukia were already over to train." Kisuke said.

"Oh? And how is training going for Orihime and Chad?" Masaki asked, travelling from room to room as she gathered her things.

Those two had been training in Kisuke's "club" ever since the night they had all agreed to prepare and keep watch for whoever had released that strange creature. Kisuke had later taken her and Isshin aside and told them if they wanted to stay out of what they were doing, he would understand. Masaki and Isshin had both looked at each other and immediately started laughing. They would end up being involved whether they wanted to be or not, and Kisuke had helped them countless times before. It was about time they returned the favor, and it wasn't like they could just let these poor kids deal with this all on their own! Masaki had made it very clear to Orihime and Chad that if they were needed for whatever reason, they would be there.

"Splendid! In the five days they've been training here they've improved immensely! Orihime is still rather unsure of herself and shies away from her offensive abilities, and Chad is having trouble breaking out of his pacifist ideals, but despite all this they are progressing further than I had originally predicted. Their abilities almost come naturally to them and if I didn't know any better, I'd say they'd done this all before in a previous life!" Kisuke exclaimed. The secretive man constantly played at being excited and happy, but Masaki could tell this time his ecstasy was genuine.

"That's wonderful! And how has Rukia been? Not snooping around too much, I hope." Masaki said. It wasn't like she didn't trust the shinigami, she just wasn't willing to take any risks when it came to her family.

"Ah, our intrepid shinigami. She hasn't really been snooping out of that Kuchiki politeness, but she is very sharp. I have found her to be indispensable in Orihime and Chad's training, but she's suspicious and cynical, especially about my shop. Other than that, it's been a real pleasure having Rukia around. She's quickly made my pupils into her friends and teaches them constantly about the spiritual world." Kisuke said.

"I see, and I suppose _that's_  why you've been keeping her so close...?" Masaki said as she looked around for her purse. Kisuke hummed, seemingly pleased and maybe even a little sheepish that she had caught on.

"Yes, I do think she'll eventually make a good ally and I cannot lie about assessing her usefulness to us. Rukia is smart, skilled, and driven, but her sense of shinigami honor goes against us in this case. She's been taught and most likely grew up believing solely in the Gotei and their own ability to tell right from wrong, taking their rules and laws as absolute. We were lucky that we managed to get her to agree not to go to them with everything she'd learned, but I don't think that's likely to happen again. She's already talking about taking Orihime and Chad to the Outpost so they can become registered..." Kisuke said. Masaki frowned.

"That's not good... What have you told her?" She asked.

"The general truth. Orihime and Chad would be in serious danger if anyone knew that they had developed powers. Worse yet, they're beginning treatment to get their memories of their night at the academy back." Kisuke said. Masaki shifted the phone so she could grab her keys with her right hand.

"Really? I thought you've only tried to recover erased memories like this once before." Masaki said.

"Well, yes, but I've practically perfected the retrieval method so neither of them are in any real danger. This time I've adjusted the treatment so that the brain can recall lost memories far more naturally by simply making the mind more susceptible to subconscious memory triggers. It could take anywhere from one day to a week of waiting for Orihime and Chad to come across a trigger strong enough to release the full memories." Kisuke said. Masaki paused.

"Couldn't you just show them that creature's corpse? We know they came in contact and that seems like the strongest possible trigger." Masaki said.

"Unfortunately, no. When they encounter a trigger they'll experience flashbacks to their hidden memories, but only a couple at a time. A trigger like the corpse is far too strong and would force them to remember everything at once, not to mention the likely resulting emotional trauma." Kisuke said.

"Oh, wow, that would be a bad idea..." Masaki said.

"Oh! Kisuke, I almost forgot to ask you," Masaki paused to check if Yuzu or Karin were around. "but have you found out anything about the hollow that, well,  _helped_  Yuzu?"

"...No. The only news on strange hollows I have is the hollow Rukia'd been tracking disappearing and the rogue hollow in Hueco Mundo being 'killed.'" Kisuke said. Masaki frowned.

"Weren't you saying something to us before about Rukia's hollow and the rogue hollow being connected? You were talking pretty fast..." Masaki said, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. Kisuke could get so excitable sometimes.

"Don't worry about that, it was just a hunch Yoruichi and I had." Kisuke said in that same tone he always used when she had stumbled upon some secret.

"Well okay then mister scientist, but it had better be nothing I should know about..." Masaki said, adding a slight edge to her warning. Kisuke swallowed slightly on the other end. He had learned long ago never to trifle with Masaki Kurosaki.

"Well it's been nice catching up, but I really should get going." Masaki said, keys jingling audibly through the other line as she got ready to leave.

"Yes, your meeting with your long lost cousin, mother of the mysteriously missing bright-haired boy." Kisuke said.

"What?" Masaki asked.

"Nothing. Good luck with Lena ~"

x

Masaki looked down again at the address Ryuken had given her. Was this really the place? The apartment building wasn't  _ramshackle_ , per say, but it really wasn't that nice either. Masaki knew this part of Karakura to be a fairly sketchy area where gangs and the more seedy individuals of their small town lived, so she didn't often come here. Uryu had said that she was staying somewhere nicer than her old apartment, so if this was nice, Masaki couldn't imagine the place Ichigo had lived in. Masaki felt a twinge of guilt for not the first time that day. If they had known that Lena and Ichigo were related, they would have helped them get out of this place and back onto their feet. They could have gotten Ichigo the help he needed... Masaki shook her head to clear her thoughts. She couldn't change what had happened, but she could try and make up for it now.

Walking up the steps past shady tenants and a couple giggling (and smoking something?), Masaki took a look at the intercom system and found the right apartment. She pressed the button only for it to shock her. Masaki swore under her breath and sucked on the burnt finger.

"Heh, damn ting does that to everybody who tries ta use it." Someone said from behind. Masaki turned around to see a tired looking woman in a diner uniform with fried blond hair watching her as she took a long drag from her cigarette. Masaki stopped nursing her finger to smile at the woman.

"Ah, good to know it's not just me then. Is there a trick to this, or is it just broken?" Masaki asked. The woman watching her seemed to decide she was friendly enough and returned her smile.

"Nah, that ting just don' work no more. Used ta be ya could just stick ya key in ta slot and it'd connect, but now ya just get electrocuted. Who ya lookin to call up ta?" She asked. Masaki moved so she could see the intercom and pointed to the right apartment. The woman's smile immediately left her face.

"They ain't home. An' they ain't gonna be home for a long while, so ya'd best just pack up an' leave." She said tersely. Masaki blinked, taken back a little by the sudden hostility.

"Really? I was told my cousin lived there - Lena, Lena Godebert. I've tried calling her, but she never picks up." Masaki explained. The woman looked her up and down now.

"If you're Lena's cousin, how come she ain't ever talk 'bout ya before?" She questioned suspiciously. Great... This woman obviously knew Lena, but it looked like she wasn't going to let Masaki anywhere near her.

"Well, I'm not sure Lena is aware that we are cousins. I myself just recently found out that we're related, which is why I'm here. I know it's a little hard to believe, but our family is very... complicated. I'm assuming you know Lena, so if you could at least let her know that I'm looking for her and if she needs anything to just call me." Masaki said.

"Can't say it's a guarantee, but what's ya name?" The woman said with a sniff.

"Masaki Kurosaki, her cousin on her mother's side." Masaki said. The woman frowned when she heard her name.

"Kurosaki? Wait a minute, I've 'eard that name before - something about you being part o' the rich an' snobby people that won't have anyting ta do with Lena." She said, crossing her arms. Masaki sighed and pinched her nose.

"...Yes, that would be my parents, but it is a little hard to contact someone when you've been dead 35 years and all family history's been erased." Masaki said.

"...Oh. Er, sorry. I just need to know you're fer real, you know?" The woman said as she shifted uncomfortably, looking a little uncertain now.

"Well sure, but what's the harm in just letting me see her?" Masaki asked cocking her hip. The woman shifted again and chewed on her lip, seemingly debating with herself before speaking again.

"Okay look, I'm gonna go out on a limb here an' tell ya what's goin on since ya  _seem_  nice, but Lena's goin through some really tough shit right now an's bein harassed left and right. Her son killed himself 'bout a week ago, so she came ta stay with me an' my roomies while everyting got sorted out. The police took a look at where she used ta live - which was them shithole apartments on Kaikto - an' flipped out trying ta pin child endangerment an' abuse an' all this shit on her. The only ting that's slightly true is the accounts of neglect, but Lena was workin like four jobs an' tryin ta raise a kid on her own. She was strugglin', but it was only because o' how her family left her on the streets when she 'ad her boy Ichigo. She 'ad to drop out o' highschool her senior year too ta raise him. She told them police all about it, but that's not what they took away at all..." The woman sighed.

"They took a look into her records an' found out she'd been an alcoholic at the time and had continued ta struggle for 'bout eight years, which there ain't no excuse for, but hadn't ever caused her ta hurt that boy. Ichigo told us himself how good she was ta him, and we kept close watch after we met him. We told the police all about how after Ichigo left ta stay with his father she moved in with us and finally started ta get clean. I mean, for Christ's sake she's been completely sober for seven years! Even when she fell ill cystic fibrosis, she never went back ta the bottle. All those things are in her past, an' she was almost ready ta move Ichigo an' her into a better apartment, but then Ichigo left one day an' never came back..." She said, pausing to sniff slightly and wipe her nose quickly. She set her jaw and looked at Masaki.

"I've known Lena for a long, long time an' the one thing that's stayed steady for her is her love for Ichigo. So when them police heard her shit-show of a life and told her they were going to investigate her for  _child abuse_ , that broke her heart. Broke our hearts too, we loved Ichigo. Now police an' reporters been showing up at her job asking her all sorts of questions and accusing her of the worst things, calling her abusive an' all manner o' awful tings. They've been dragging out the worst parts o' her life and exposing them for everyone ta see, so we've been real protective o' Lena. It's hard enough ta keep her from drinking again, but we've got her illness ta think of too. She's started ta smoke again because o' those bastards." The woman finished bitterly. Masaki felt overwhelming guilty now. Her cousin had been going through so much this entire time and she'd never even known.

"That's horrible. No one deserves that. Thank you for telling me, I understand a lot more now. I just wish I would have known about Lena and all that she was going through sooner - hell, I'm a lawyer and my husband's even working on Ichigo's autopsy." Masaki said somberly. The woman's demeanor completely changed at that.

"Really? I know this is a lot ta ask, but would ya be able to defend Lena? You said ya wish ya could help, an' Lena's been too much of a mess ta get any lawyer yet." She said.

"Well, I mainly work in cases involving minors, but I do have considerable experience with similar cases. I'm well-versed in domestic violence cases, so if Lena agrees to it and fits my firm's requirements I'd be willing to represent her." Masaki said. From what Masaki had heard so far, the charges against Lena were unfair and she was suffering considerable police harassment. She would need to get more information, but Masaki had a killer track record with this kind of stuff. Her true passion was helping victims of domestic violence get the justice they deserved, so she knew this particular facet of the system all too well.

"Oh my god, Lena's gonna be so relieved. Whether or not ya really are her cousin, I ain't passin up an opportunity to get Lena legal help. Just promise not to tell anybody where Lena's been stayin' for now, police know enough as it is." The woman said.

"No worries there." Masaki said with a smile. The woman returned the smile, visibly relaxing. She threw up her hands suddenly and laughed.

"Ah! Where are my manners - the name's Mia." Mia said, bowing slightly. Masaki returned the bow and followed Mia as she showed her through the apartment doors into the building.

"You'll 'ave ta excuse my apartment, but four people've been livin' here this past week." Mia said. Masaki just waved her hand.

"Oh don't worry about that, I have a pair of destructive twins with a thing for arts and crafts that used to share a room." Masaki said. Mia laughed as she led her up a flight of rickety stairs. Masaki couldn't help but wonder just how stable this building really was as the stairs creaked and shifted.

"Oof, sounds like fun times. Ichigo used ta just love ta draw an' craft, but he stopped for some reason..." Mia said. Masaki hummed sadly.

"Yeah, I suppose you stop enjoying those things as much when you get to be a teenager." Masaki said. She sincerely hoped Yuzu never gave up her love of cooking during that phase. Mia shook her head.

"Ichigo wasn't even a teenager when he stopped, an' he never even really acted like that when he became one. He was such a sweet boy, but he just had some real issues. He only went really off the rails after he came back from his dad's place, but Lena just told us he had anger issues. I think she was in denial, poor boy had way more issues than that goin on. There definitely had ta be someting goin on with the father. I've also always thought Ichigo might'a been suffering from anxiety disorders, or maybe even the beginnin's o' schizophrenia. You don't just start cryin an' screamin for no reason all the time 'cause you're angry or babble on about monsters kidnappin' you." Mia said as they reached the right floor. Masaki frowned.

"Monsters? What kind of monsters?" Masaki asked. That's how Karin had first described hollows when she saw them, monsters. Ichigo did carry quincy blood, so it could be that he was beginning to see spirits.

"I dunno, he stopped talking 'bout them around when he stopped seeing us, not that he managed to visit us all that much in the first place. But anyway, this here's where we all live. Right now it's just Lena and Sana in the apartment, but Sana's real friendly." Mia said as she rapped on the apartment door. "Open up! It's Mia, and I've got a real nice guest here with me!"

Masaki heard several locks being undone before the door opened to reveal a heavy set woman with cheery makeup decorating her dark skin, and half-braided hair. Seeing Masaki, the woman laughed in embarrassment. She began signing something to Mia before turning to Masaki and bowing.

"Sana here was letting Lena give her a makeover." Mia explained.

"I tried to warn her to let me answer, but she insisted..." Someone called out from the apartment. A short bout of coughing followed.

"Sana's been with me and my other roomy, Alex, since the beginning. She's been studying in a program for deaf students right now, so she's pretty busy most of the time." Mia said. Sana got Mia's attention again and signed something to her. Mia frowned and began signing back while Masaki just watched in slight confusion. They seemed to finish and Mia turned back to Masaki.

"Ah, Lena's just not really in the mood for company right now... But I think it'll be fine so long as ya make sure she knows you're just here ta help. With everything goin' on Lena's been real on edge, blowin' up an' losin' it. Any other circumstance we'd think someting was really wrong with her an' institutionalize her, but we know how tough this is. She's been actin' all strange an' cagey even with us, so don't pay any mind to it." Mia said. Masaki nodded.

"Grief does do strange things to the mind, and I think anyone in her situation would react the same way.

Sana stepped aside and ushered the two into the definitely chaotic apartment. Clothes and dishes were scattered everywhere, but the inside still managed to look bright and welcoming with all the colorful decorations and knick-knacks. Masaki could see a couple of children's drawings taped to the fridge as the passed the kitchen, somberly catching Ichigo's name painstakingly scrawled at the bottom of each one. Sana steered the two past a bedroom with rainbow streamers covering the doorway into the living room where a woman sat upon a pile of robes and tasseled pillows. Her shoulder-length black hair was unkempt as she hunched over a bag of makeup, patchy blue robe draped around her shoulders. She turned around to see who Mia had brought, dark brown eyes dull with grief and sporting some spectacular dark circles. Seeing Masaki's drastically different (and nicer) work clothes, Lena narrowed her eyes at her and visibly tensed.

"I thought I told you not to let any reporters up here." Lena said sharply with a cough. Mia put a hand on Masaki's shoulder.

"She ain't one o' those, an' she ain't a cop either. This is Masaki Kurosaki." Mia said. Lena's eyes flashed, but Masaki hurried to speak before her.

"It's alright Lena, I'm just here because I want to help. It's a bit of a long story, but I found out this morning that you and I are cousins on your mother's side. I originally just wanted to meet you so we could catch up, but then I heard that Ichigo was your son... I'm so sorry, and what those policemen and reporters are doing to you isn't right. I'm a lawyer, and now that I know what you're going through, I think I can help you." Masaki said, trying to convey as much sincerity and empathy as she could with her words. Apparently she had done a good job, because Lena seemed to relax a little.

"...You're really my cousin? I know your family, but how come I never heard of you before?" Lena asked. Mia threw her hands out.

"Ayyyy! That's what I said too!" Mia exclaimed. Lena just glared at Mia's failed attempt at humor.

"My parents died when I was younger, and I ended up being the last of the Kurosaki line. A lot of my heritage was lost and very few of my relatives reached out to me after, so I know far less about my family than I would like." Masaki said. Lena took in her words and suddenly stood up, posture completely different as she self-consciously brushed off her robe.

"Then I guess you really don't know much about my - our, family. I, I think we should... talk." Lena said, clearing her throat slightly.

"Oh!" Mia took the cue to leave, signing something at Sana who suddenly became very interested in the dining room. Once Mia was gone and Sana was off with her back turned to them in the dining room, Lena cleared a spot for Masaki to come sit over by a coffee table.

"Sorry about the mess, it's been difficult keeping up with the apartment..." Lena said, coughing weakly. Masaki offered a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, Mia already apologized. She also explained your situation to me." Masaki said. Lena nodded absently.

"Well, Mia probably gave you my  _whole_  story, so what about your's?" Lena asked.

"I can't say I have many riveting tales, but I can tell you you have two nieces." Masaki said. Lena looked at a loss for how to react, but she quickly recovered.

"I do? I never imagined Ichigo had any cousins..." Lena said. Masaki nodded.

"Twins in fact, Yuzu and Karin. They're eleven. My husband Isshin always complains about how they don't have any family their own age to play with, but it turns out the girls actually used to play with Ichigo in the park." Masaki said. She could've sworn she saw Lena's eye twitch.

"Really? Ichigo never talked about going to the park, he had too much studying he needed to do." Lena said. She sounded a little terse, but Masaki thought it was warranted given the subject matter.

"Karin did say that Ichigo had stopped playing with them a while ago." Masaki said.

"Ichigo had to stop doing a lot of things as he got older. I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the way, Ichigo just... changed." Lena said. That was odd, Mia had made it sound pretty obvious when Ichigo's issues had started.

"Mia said she thought Ichigo's issues started when he came back from his father's." Masaki said. Something passed over Lena's face, but it was gone before Masaki could think about it.

"Well Mia also thinks Ichigo had anxiety or some mental illness shit." Lena coughed somewhat bitterly.

"Because of the monsters who took him away?" Masaki said, hoping to steer the subject towards whether or not Lena and or Ichigo were spiritually aware. Lena immediately locked eyes with Masaki.

"Ichigo just had an active imagination." Lena said firmly. She was watching Masaki with an intense expression now, but Masaki was too busy checking the room for any spiritual or quincy paraphernalia.

"That could be, but talking about seeing monsters could also be a serious issue. It's best to rule out any mental disorders or illnesses before you testify in court." Masaki added to try and spur Lena on to talk more about it.

"Did Ichigo talk about anything else strange that he saw or heard?" Masaki asked. Lena shifted, eyes still on Masaki.

"What do you mean by 'strange?'" She asked, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, like people or other creatures... You know, impossible things like people standing on air or hearing strange screams." Masaki said, pushing into specifics in the hopes Lena would confirm or deny her suspicions. Either Lena wasn't catching on and knew, or she just wasn't spiritually aware.

"Ichigo didn't exactly talk to me about those things. He wasn't exactly an open person. I'm sorry, but when did your parents pass?" Lena said suddenly. Masaki blinked.

"My parents?" She asked.

"I was just trying to figure out if I actually did meet your parents - it didn't occur to me before now that I could have." Lena said with an innocent smile.

"I see... Well, it was a while ago, but I was about sixteen when they passed. After that I ended up going to live with my cousins, the Ishida's before leaving to go to university." Masaki said. Lena's smile was sharper.

"Really? Then I guess you weren't really that young, at least not young enough to be in the dark about our heritage. The Ishida's must have taught you plenty though." Lena said. Masaki smiled despite the strange feeling she was getting. Of course this was going to be a little strange though, they were talking about a rather tense subject after just meeting.

"After losing my parents, the Ishidas were really my only connection to the life my family lived, so yes. They really did teach me a lot..." Masaki said.

"Did I ever show you Ichigo's pictures?" Lena asked suddenly.

"Um, no, I don't think you did." Masaki said as Lena stood up.

"I have an album here with pictures of Ichigo somewhere, just let me find it real quick - oh you stay there." Lena said as Masaki started to get up to follow. Sitting back down, Masaki took the opportunity to look around the apartment again for anything quincy. She could see a few articles of clothing that looked similar to quincy garb as Lena moved around behind her, but they could be nothing. Lena continued to talk to her as she fiddled around behind the couch.

"So if you know about our family, then I guess you've heard the term 'quincy' before...?" Lena asked from somewhere behind. Masaki perked up.

"Of course. After all, I did grow into that particular inheritance..." Masaki left off in a silent question.

"Then it really is too bad Mia and Sana let you in here. I suppose it really is my fault for getting those sappy bitches to care about me so much, but there are certain benefits to living with a clueless foreign exchange student, a barista constantly busy with long shifts..." Masaki realized she couldn't hear Lena moving anymore.

"...And someone who can't hear your screams." Lena's voice whispered from right by Masaki's ear.

Hands suddenly closed around Masaki's throat who immediately shot forward off the couch, Lena unceremoniously being dragged over with her. Masaki aimed a high-heel right into Lena's gut, but she refused to let go with a screech. Something Lena was wearing on her hands changed from cold to burning metal, the familiar tang of rieatsu in the air mixing with Masaki's burning flesh. Masaki screamed in pain, but her blut vein stopped any fatal damage from occurring. Lena tried to slam Masaki's head to the ground, but Masaki hooked her leg around Lena's arms and leveraged them the backwards until she felt a pop and heard Lena scream. It was enough to loosen Lena's grip and give Masaki just enough room to escape. Masaki didn't even wait to gasp in more breath as she summoned her bow and took aim.

"You're really going to do that here?! I don't know if you noticed, but these apartments are just itchin' for a blast to take them down!" Lena screamed.

_Shit! Lena's right on this one..._

Masaki put away her bow reluctantly, not willing to risk the destruction using it would cause. She might not be able to fight Lena with the bow, but then again, she might not have to fight at all... Lena's eyes shifted to Sana with Masaki's and both looked at each other for a split second. Lena lunged to intercept Masaki with a screech, fists adorned with what Masaki now saw to be bone-white brass knuckles with suspicious glowing symbols carved into them. She dodged the first strike easily, but was forced to flash away from Lena using Hirenkyaku back into the living room. Lena threw a second round of punches at Masaki, but she had little trouble dodging the strikes with her superior speed and power. IT wasn't long before she gained the upper hand. Ducking under another stray attack, Masaki kicked out at Lena, clipping her side with one of her surprisingly deadly heels. Crying out in frustration and pain, Lena stumbled back and drew her hands close to her sides. Masaki's heart sank as she felt Lena gathering power in her brass knuckles, symbols glowing an angry blue. Lena released the attack in the form of a small but deadly blast of reishi powerful enough to do some serious damage. Masaki was forced to absorb the blow as she shielded herself with her arms to prevent the attack from damaging the building (and/or Sana), blut vein quickly erasing the damage.

"Why are you doing this Lena? I'm not going to hurt you, I just came here to help!" Masaki exclaimed, but this was honestly a last resort. Lena had been acting strange from the start and asking way too many questions about what Masaki knew. There was something here that Masaki wasn't getting yet, but it was some knowledge that Lena was apparently willing to kill her over. Lena made a choking noise resembling a laugh, wild eyes shining.

"Oh and help you did! Up until now I thought that no one had the information to connect the dots but my old _pals_ -" Lena hissed the word like a curse. " -but then you came along, all noble and caring like true weak Kurosaki müll wanting to know more about that failed bastard of a child! If it wasn't for you coming here, I wouldn't have ever figured out that the cat was out of the bag! I know you told them, and it really is too bad, but you must understand I can't take any chances. Once I'm done with you, I suppose a visit with my nieces and dear cousin-in-law is in order - !" Lena hit the ground with the force of Masaki's punch, shock replaced by pain.

"Your first mistake was picking a fight with me; your second was with my family." Masaki said, eyes blazing dangerously.

Lena gagged and scrambled back just in time to avoid another blow laced with reishi this time. Masaki was a blur now as she forced Lena to dodge and weave as fast as the Gemischt could. It was clear that the brass-knuckles were the only advantage Lena held, so Masaki began focusing her efforts on trying to disarm her. Just a moment too slow dodging one of Masaki's kicks and Lena was stumbling to the ground clutching her side. Masaki was on her in seconds, grappling with her cousin to try and get ahold of the brass-knuckles. She managed to pin one of Lena's arms down as she furiously scratched and beat at Masaki's back.

"No! NOOOO!" Lena screeched as Masaki fumbled with the increasingly warmer brass-knuckles. At this point they were practically burning her hands, but if she could just get them off before -

A massive burst of Lena's channeled reiatsu sent Masaki flying across the room to crash into a book case managing to stun the stronger cousin for just a moment. But that moment was all Lena needed to get the upper hand again. Burns laced Lena's hands and arms from where she had released too much energy as she began to choke Masaki again, screaming curses all the while. Masaki was about five seconds away from just shooting Lena's manic ass point-blank with the ace up her sleeve and ending this, but then she just stopped fighting, eyes wide and teary as she reached for Lena's face.

"What? You really expect that to work on me you stupid Miststück?! God, no wonder you care so much about my worthless mistake of a child, he's just like you! I might not have had the guts to kill him before he went and did it for me, but  **this time is so different!** " Lena screamed, one fist poised to punch Masaki in the face, but Masaki wasn't looking at her anymore.

"What t-the, what the fuck are you doing?!"

Lena whipped her head around to stare at Mia and Sana in utter shock, mouth wide open as she realized her mistake. Masaki "weakly" kicked Lena in the stomach to escape and leaned in close to her just as her face slammed down next to her's.

"Should've paid more attention to your roommates." She whispered before scrambling away towards Mia.

"Call the police, please!" Masaki gasped, completely back to innocent victim as Mia helped pull her away from Lena. Sana took out Mia's phone and began dialing for her as she just stared in horror at Lena.

"What the fuck Lena, I thought you loved Ichigo! But you were going to kill him?  _You were going to kill Masaki?!_   ** _You were going to kill your own son?!_** " Mia exclaimed. Lena just stared at her former friends like a deer in headlights as she clutched her stomach and heaved. Mia's phone dialing jolted Lena out of her shock and she shot up to her feet, swaying a little. Everyone took a step back, but Mia refused to leave.

"Oh my god, oh my god oh my god OH MY GOD! They were right, they - the police, the police were right, oh my god you were really hurting him -" Mia was cut off by Lena.

"THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! No one does and none of you worthless worms will ever understand WHAT I WENT THROUGH! HE'S AN ABOMINATION, A MONSTER!" Lena screamed. Mia took another step back shaking her head.

"No, oh god no Lena,  **you are.** " Mia whispered. For a moment they just stared at each other, Lena at a loss for words and the others to scared and shocked to say anything. But it didn't take long for her face to contort in rage once again, hate seething from her.

"They were right, you impure scum really are all the same. At least this will have proven I'm still useful to them. Quincies sind die heiligen Krieger und Richter dieser Welt, und unser Recht ist göttlich!" Lena hissed.

Without warning she charged the three, brass-knuckles and teeth bared aggressively. Masaki tried to stop her from escaping, but Mia and Sana were so concerned with getting out of the way that they ended up shoving her to the side just as Lena had probably planned. She was out of the apartment in a flash as she ignored her roommate's cries. It was then that the police picked up, but Masaki knew it was too late. Lena was gone.

xx

Masaki shivered involuntarily from the chilly evening air despite the blanket draped over her shoulders. She looked to be in shock (which was true to a certain extent) as she sat on the steps to the apartments waiting for the first responders to give her the inevitable okay. She had held off on using blut vein for as long as she could just so they could look at her injuries and record the damage Lena had inflicted, but at this point it was getting pretty hard to put off.

"Masaki? Oh my god Masaki!"

Masaki looked up just in time to see her husband rushing past shouting policemen and lines of police tape, Kisuke not far behind.

"It's okay - that's my husband and a friend of the family!" Masaki called to the frantic policemen trying to stop the two men. They let go with a couple of quick apologies, but Isshin was already across the steps grabbing Masaki in a fierce hug.

"Ow! Isshin I haven't healed yet!" Masaki cried. Isshin squeaked and immediately stopped crushing her. Isshin helped her sit back down on the steps and began inspecting her.

"It's okay Isshin, I'm mostly just sore here and there. I'll be healing all this as soon as we get home - I'm fine, really." Masaki said to little effect.

"If you think this is bad, you should've seen him when he first got the news." Kisuke said as he walked up to the two. Masaki smiled, very much able to imagine as Isshin continued to inspect her.

"Hello Kisuke, I'm guessing Yoruichi is watching the girls right now." Masaki said with a tired sigh. They had all agreed to have someone watch over the girls at Kisuke's instead of bringing them to Masaki just in case Lena was still hanging around. Kisuke nodded.

"No need to worry at all. Orihime, Chad, and Rukia are all still there too, so they're well protected. I'm guessing you already told the police everything they need to know, so what really happened here? And don't you dare spare any details - if someone was strong enough to tussel with you, this must be an interesting story" Kisuke said. Masaki chuckled bitterly and let Isshin put a comforting arm around her.

"Well, it certainly isn't boring..." Masaki said.

-x-

**Rukia Kuchiki - Kisuke's Shop**

"No! When someone tells you 'no' you're supposed to listen - don't touch that!" Rukia cried.

"Oh yeah? Why not?" Karin challenged as she proceeded to touch all of Kisuke's equipment. Rukia felt like ripping out her hair as Orihime and Chad just watched with barely contained laughter.

"For the  _billionth time_ , Kisuke has some very dangerous and valuable spirit devices here and if you touch them you could accidentally set one of them off!" Rukia gritted through her teeth. She had no idea why Karin had decided to try and grate on every last nerve of Rukia's, but she was determined not to let the little brat get through to her.

"Do you even know what these do?" Karin scoffed. Rukia smirked.

"Three of them are probably converter devices of some sort based off their reiatsu output - which I'm sure  _you_  still can't sense - while the two work boxes are obviously parts for -" Karin cut Rukia's monologue short with an eye roll.

"Of course you know. Jeez, this is only fun when you're actually riled up." Karin said and stopped touching the strange devices. Rukia spluttered.

"What?! This is fun for you - I knew you were just doing this to get on my nerves!" Rukia accused. Karin laughed at her outburst, throwing Rukia off.

"Of course I am! I'm not stupid - don't comment on that - and it's fun watching you get all angry and indignant. Besides, I like arguing with you." Karin said with a mischievous smile. Yorucihi snorted from where she was watching the whole display go down.

"She's right, it is pretty funny when you get mad. Your eyebrow gets all twitchy." Yoruichi said. Rukia's hand flew to her eyebrows.

"They do not! And you're insane!" Rukia huffed. Karin just ignored her in favor of wandering around looking for something else to get into.

"Come on Rukia, why don't you come train with us some more. Chad and I are sure to nail our attack this time!" Orihime said enthusiastically. Rukia just shook her head.

They had been training all day and yet Orihime was still up to keep going despite how clearly tired she was. Rukia had no idea where she found the energy to keep going, but she had to admit she had't expected Orihime to be this committed at first. Orihime just didn't seem like the type, but it didn't take long to see that she was actually a very determined and dedicated person once they actually got down to it. Even though the training was difficult and Orihime just physically couldn't keep up with the others, she never gave up. Thanks to that she improving considerably and was managing to find some very creative ways to keep up with her and Chad. Rukia had no doubt that with continued training Orihime would be just as physically fit as her and Chad.

"I'm sure you will, but I should actually be checking my messages." Rukia said. Orihime's smile faltered a little, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Still waiting for your captain-brother to update you?" Orihime asked. Rukia floundered slightly.

"He's not my, no that's - My brother isn't my captain, he just happens to be  _a_  captain, and he's not actually my brother - I already told you I was adopted." Rukia awkwardly rushed.

"Um, okay... So you're waiting for your not-brother captain?" Orihime asked. Rukia opened her mouth but just sighed.

"...Yes. I'll be in Kisuke's lab if you need me." Rukia said.

It took her a surprising amount of time to find the right room considering this was just an ordinary shop, but luckily Yoruichi was there to show her the right room. Upon closing the door after Yoruichi's own warning not to touch anything, Rukia turned around and shivered a little. She had forgotten that a monster's faceless corpse was lying around in the back of the small lab somewhere. Funny though, Rukia thought this place was awfully small for all the equipment Kisuke claimed to have...

Either way, Rukia sat down in one of the chairs by the monitor Kisuke had set up and pulled out her denreishinki. There were still no messages from her brother, but there was one from her captain, Captain Ukitake. All it said was to call him when she had the time, so Rukia looked around to make sure no one was listening and began dialing his number. It was a while before he picked up, but there had been some serious connection issues going on between the three worlds for about a month now. They were still trying to figure it out.

"Hello?" Ukitake answered.

"It's Rukia reporting in as requested, Ukitake-taichou." Rukia said. Ukitake coughed slightly before answering.

"Hello Rukia! No need to be so formal, I just wanted to check up on you and see how you're doing." Ukitake said. Rukia blinked, but shook her head. She should have known Ukitake would request a report just so he could talk to her. Honestly, Captain Shunsui really was starting to rub off on his friend.

"Thank you, but I'm fine, really. Shouldn't you be resting instead of talking to me?" Rukia asked. The captain's illness was well known to those in the gotei, but only his officers and friends knew when his health was suffering a rough patch. Rukia was proud to be able to call herself both and had known from the moment his latest episode started.

"Nonsense Rukia, I've got Shunsui here to take care of me. And besides, I want to hear all about how things are going in the World of the Living." Ukitake said. Rukia heard shuffling around in the background and someone stumbling.

"Rukia! Rukia you have to tell Ukitake to stop trying to leave to feed the koi fish! It's so much harder to relax having to constantly chase after him and make him rest!" Shunsui's voice faintly called.

"Shunsui! What did I tell you -" Ukitake burst into a coughing fit halfway through his sentence making Rukia wince. She heard more shuffling and Shunsei's voice was much closer this time as he murmured soothing things to Ukitake. Rukia could imagine him rubbing Ukitake's back now, an ineffective but sweet gesture. It at least helped calm him down and focus his breathing. Once his coughing died down, she heard Shunsui pat his back.

"...Thanks Shunsui. *Ahem* So about your new position." Ukitake said. Rukia sighed and rested her elbow on the control pad, starting slightly and adjusting when she heard a loud beep.

"Er, yes. Well I can't say things have necessarily died down even after that mystery hollow disappeared, but it's actually been really pleasant here. There are definitely a challenging amount of hollows here, but the quincies are extremely dutiful about being first responders which is very helpful. For some reason I thought they'd be different than the quincies in the Soul Society, but most aren't really." Rukia said. Ukitake laughed slightly.

"Yes, I think you'll find that quincies tend to follow the same behaviors no matter where they are what with such strict and universal philosophies. But about that hollow, I've been meaning to talk to you about it. I'm sure you've heard by now about the rogue hollow that went on a killing spree in Hueco Mundo before being brought down in the Soul Society, but the official report on it hasn't been released yet. I recently learned from Byakuya that the hollow actually evolved to an arrancar before its capture and hid out in the Soul Society undetected for an entire day. It was only found when it began fighting another hollow of significant power. At that point Byakuya and Mayuri went and captured it... You can guess what happened to it from there." Ukitake said. Rukia grimaced. Everyone knew Mayuri had unquestionable hunting rights when it came to hollows, so more than a few hollows were "brought down" in the Soul Society by Mayuri.

"Apparently this arrancar was quite powerful and had displayed a unique ability to create portals untraceable and insensible to the gotei, probably the reason for Mayuri's interest. The similarity in hunting and stealth outside of adjuchas form reminded me of the hollow you were tasked with. I must admit it wasn't that great of a connection, I was just restless from Shunsui confining me to my estates and I wanted a reason to check in on you again, so I took another look at the case. Almost the exact day after hollows first started going missing in Karakura, the rogue hollow showed up in Hueco Mundo and took down a Gillian before disappearing completely. When hollows stopped going missing, the rogue hollow was busy massacring Gillians and adjuchas in the Forest of Menos. Do you see my thinking here?" Ukitake asked.

"The hollow from Karakura town is the same one from Hueco Mundo... But couldn't those just be coincidences? I'm sure plenty of powerful hollows hunt and disappear in other places." Rukia said with a frown.

"No, actually. You were assigned this case because it is completely abnormal for a hollow in the World of the Living to go around devouring other hollows completely undetected. Not only this, but Karakura isn't like other places. Lichtreich may be the place with the highest concentration of reiatsu in the World of the Living, but that's only because of the quincies who regularly use that area. Karakura has the highest concentration of humans with high amounts of reiatsu, and any creature that comes from or goes there usually ends up unique in power. That's why Karakura has such a thriving spiritual community." Ukitake explained. Rukia did remember learning something about Karakura town at the academy, but they had really downplayed Karakura's significance.

"...I see. Well thank you for telling me, now I don't have to constantly watch for some mysterious hollow all the time." Rukia said somewhat absently.

She might not have to watch out for strange hollows, but she did have to keep an eye out for inhuman murder beasts no one could sense. Well, no one could sense completely. The monitor she was currently sitting in front of had been designed by Kisuke to keep track of phenomenons involving the creatures. It wouldn't track the creatures per say, but it would tell them when any more were brought to this world. It had been pretty glitch so far though and had been going off once or twice randomly for three days. She had tried to comfort Kisuke in the fact that he wasn't a gotei scientist by far, but he had just looked at the machine and said nothing. They had still checked, but there was nothing out of the ordinary really.

"You don't think the other hollow the arrancar was fighting could be from Karakura too, do you?" Rukia asked suddenly. The more she learned about this town, the stranger things got. She knew full well how incompetent the previous local shinigami had been, so she was truly starting to wonder just how much went unnoticed in his guardianship.

"No, this one had been hiding in the Soul Society for a disturbing number of centuries. We don't know too much about it right now since it was kind of torn to pieces, but Aizen is already tracking down the parts on his own..." Ukitake said. Rukia missed the strange undertone in his voice and chuckled.

"Poor Aizen, it seems he's always getting stuck with clean up on these sorts of things." Rukia said.

She had only met Captain Aizen a couple of times herself, but everyone loved the sweet and soft-spoken man. Oddly enough, the first time Rukia had met Aizen she had immediately felt this inexplicable desire to get as far away from the man as possible, but she had determined it just to be nerves. After all, Aizen was one of the kindest people Rukia knew aside from her own captain. He was always offering to help everyone and made the much appreciated sacrifice of handling all doings with the Research Center, sometimes disappearing into the lab for days just to make sure Mayuri wasn't doing anything too immoral. Shunsui muttered something strange in the background.

"What? What about coveting up? Covering?" Rukia asked.

"Ah, he was just saying how Aizen was covering for Mayuri's assistants... He volunteered to handle the Necromancer - the hollow - clean up as soon as Mayuri mentioned it." Ukitake said before Shunsui could speak.

"But enough about us, how are things with you?" Ukitake asked.

The two proceeded to talk about how Rukia was doing with Shunsui and Ukitake's coughing interrupting now and again for the rest of the evening. She of course neglected to mention the mystery creatures, conspiracies, and Chad and Orihime's special powers. Both Ukitake and Shunsui were delighted to hear that Rukia had already made quite a few friends and was even working with the prestigious Shihoin princess. It wasn't until she suddenly noticed they'd been talking for so long it had gotten dark that Rukia realized how much she had missed talking with her captain. Things had been hard for her with Kaien and Ukitake had understood that. He'd given her the space she'd asked for and needed... or at least thought she did. Talking with her captain and hanging out with actual friends again felt good, even if she wasn't done grieving. Maybe her brother was right about this trip...

"Well, I should probably let you go now. I'm sure you have lots of work to be catching up on and so do we." Ukitake said with a sigh. Rukia could hear Shunsui panicking in the background.

"W-wait, we don't have to stop talking now - what about the food there? We haven't talked about that yet!" Shunsui pleaded. Rukia almost smiled.

"I'm sure that can wait until the next time we talk." Rukia said, but paused. "Thank you, Ukitake. For checking up on me, and for letting me be here. I think being here is really helping." Rukia said. It was silent for a moment, but Rukia knew it was because of how much Ukitake had wanted for her to find some sort of peace, even if just for a little while.

"I'm so glad to hear that... You know you can always talk to me about anything bothering you, or if you just want to talk at all." Ukitake said. Rukia swallowed silently. Not all things, but she hoped to change that soon.

"I know. I'll be reporting in soon - for real this time." Rukia said. Ukitake chuckled.

"Yes, we do still happen to be shinigami. Have a good night." Ukitake said. Shunsui echoed the sentiment.

"I will, and I hope you're feeling better soon." Rukia said.

With that they ended the call and Rukia sat back. She had been sitting for way too long, long enough that the arm she had propped up on the control pad was sticking to the plastic. Peeling her arm off the pad, Rukia winced when she saw the keyboard pattern from all the buttons she'd accidentally been pressing. Odd... The control panel had a button with a red light by it blinking steadily. Quickly looking up to the monitor Kisuke had requested be left on, Rukia was relieved to see she hadn't accidentally turned it off, but there were strange lines of text and readings flying across the screen. Numbers were popping up next to a strange 3D diagram showing some type of funnel expanding. This looked like the alerts they saw for the mystery creatures whenever the monitor was malfunctioning, though far more chaotic and detecting a ridiculous amount of threats. Every time a threat would pop up on the screen it would immediately disappear a few seconds later along with all the data, making the screen flash strangely.

Panicking slightly, Rukia looked around the control panel for anything she could have pressed that was making this device freak out like this. What if she had accidentally broken it? There wasn't anything Rukia could immediately tell was the source of the problem, so Rukia just did the first thing she could think of and smacked the monitor. Everything went black for a moment, then the screen flashed a few times and went back to normal.

"Huh." Rukia said to herself. She thought that only worked with technology in movies...

"Rukia?"

Someone knocked on the door tentatively. Rukia immediately recognized Orihime.

"Masaki just came home with Kisuke and Isshin, so I just thought I'd tell you." Orihime said. Rukia got up and tucked her denreishinki away.

"That's fine, I'm done here anyways." Rukia said as she left the monitor in peace, red light still blinking.

* * *

 **Müll**  - trash

 **Miststück** \- bitch

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but I thought Masaki became a lawyer when Bleach revealed her backstory. I can't actually find what job she had in Bleach, so I just stuck with this one since it seemed right and Masaki did study at a university in Bleach. Besides, I think Masaki would make a wonderfully terrifying lawyer what with that sweet demeanor but secretly fierce personality. Masaki primarily works with children in domestic violence cases.  
> Oh boy, it ain't Bleach if Aizen isn't around.
> 
> Well, Uryu just had to go and get the Kurosakis' permanently involved in Karakura's conspiracy. Things are finally coming together now...
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everybody! I really wanted to be able to release this chapter Sunday and then surprise everybody with chapter 12 on Christmas, but I have three Christmases that I go to every year and a disgusting amount of projects and homework assigned over winter break. The only other thing I have is some fanart that I've been working on for like a week now plus the one I missed last update that will be on AO3, but I just wanted to do more. I'm still gonna try and write the next chapter Christmas Eve and even on Christmas day to see if I can get a quality amount of work out in time, but in the event that I just can't, I'm going to go back over all my previous chapters and basically beta read. I try very hard to fix mistakes as I go, but when I write such long chapters I miss things. I was going to wait until I passed the 20 chapter benchmark to go back, but I just wanted to do something for the holidays.  
> Thank you for the feedback and feel free to let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 12: Under Attack Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Oooooh shit, here we go boys.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Speech/Thoughts_

**_Shiro (Zangetsu)_ **

**The Old Man/Ossan (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 12: Under Attack Part 1**

-x-

**Orihime Inoue**

Orihime stretched with a wince before rubbing her shoulder. She was positively sore all over from training at Kisuke's place, but she'd done her best to keep going despite it. It was hard to keep up with people who were just physically more fit than Orihime, so after working twice as hard all week to be able to use her powers  _and_  physical skills, she had expected to have abs by now and was more than a little disappointed. Maybe she could just steal Chad's, he seemed to have enough for the both of them.

Well, whether or not she had abs Orihime could feel herself getting stronger, and that was enough. Just so long as she never became a burden to anyone again, like she had to Sora... As always when she thought of her brother, Orihime's thoughts grew quieted and she said a silent prayer to Sora. She felt better now that she knew for sure Sora was at peace (despite the rocky road to get there), but it was still less than pleasant for her to be near the still damaged parts of her apartment. For that reason she tried to spend as little time as possible at home until everything was fixed.

"Orihime?" Chad called out with a knock.

"Coming!" Orihime responded. They were supposed to walk to school with Rukia today and talk about their plans for a sleepover at Kisuke's tonight (since the last one was, er,  _interrupted_ ), but Rukia hadn't come to pick them up yet so they were going to head off a little early.

Orihime opened the door and let Chad in to pick up the chocolate-bean sprout lunch she had made him (poor guy had insisted she didn't need to go to the trouble all day) before locking the door behind them. They took the stairs two steps at a time today, both eager to see their friends again after a long weekend of training and excitement. It was nice to do normal things again.

"How long should we walk before we wait for Rukia?" Chad asked as they left the apartments. Orihime thought for a while.

"Well, I'm sure Rukia has a lot of things going on right now, so why don't we just walk as far as the academy. We can wait a little while there and if she still doesn't show up, then we'll just have to walk the rest of the way. Rukia doesn't have our numbers yet, so it's not like she can call us when something comes up." Orihime reasoned. Chad nodded and the two set off.

It was surprisingly nice out as they walked, clear skies and little wind for this time of year. As much as Orihime loved the summer, there was a special place in her heart for the beautiful colors of fall and hearing all the birds that nested by her apartment sing as they prepared for winter... Well, normally she did. Right now she couldn't hear any birds as they walked. Looking around into the trees lining the sidewalks, Orihime certainly didn't see any birds, or other animals for that matter. The more they walked, the more she noticed what wasn't there. Like cars. And people.

"Chad...Where is everybody?" Orihime asked. Chad stood by her silently as they slowed to a standstill.

"Is there some holiday we forgot about today? A parade?" Orihime asked with failing confidence. Chad just hummed uneasily.

Looking around warily, Orihime started walking again, faster this time. Not wanting to stick around either, Chad jogged up to her and stuck close. The only sound they heard came from swaying trees and their own hurried steps as they came upon the academy. It was just as empty and silent here too despite it being a school day. Now Orihime was really starting to feel like something was wrong. She was getting the same feeling she'd gotten when Sora had been hanging around her apartment and stalking her which was not a good sign. Orihime nearly passed the academy so nervous was she before she remembered they were supposed to wait and call Rukia. Looking around for the billionth time, Orihime pulled out her phone as Chad hovered by her shoulder.

"I'm just going to call Rukia real quick..." Orihime said. Chad nodded apprehensively and Orihime dialed the number. Her heart sunk a little when the phone continued to just ring, but perked up when she heard a click.

"Hi Rukia this -" High-pitched static cut Orihime off immediately. Jerking her head back in surprise, Orihime snapped the phone shut.

"Bad connection?" Chad offered.

"I'm calling Kisuke." Orihime said firmly. Even if it turned out to be nothing, Orihime couldn't just ignore this feeling that something was wrong. This time it actually picked up right away, but there was still only static. Orihime frowned and picked another number to call.

"Hello? -" More static.

"Chad can you try calling somebody?" Orihime asked. Chad nodded and quickly pulled out his phone to try. They waited only to hear more static.

"You don't think something supernatural is going on, do you?" Orihime asked in clear worry.

"I don't know, but it feels like we shouldn't stay here too long. I think we should go to the academy." Chad said.

Orihime nodded in silent agreement and the two continued on. Not five steps later they heard a branch snap behind them. Squeaking, Orihime whirled around with Chad to see only empty sidewalk. Another snap further down the sidewalk made them both jump. It sounded like it was coming from somewhere in the trees.

"Who's there?!" Chad called. His booming voice only echoed hollowly down the street as the two waited tensely. For some reason Orihime was suddenly washed over with overwhelming deja vu. Something rustled just past them.

"We know you're there!" Chad cried with fists bared. He was readying his Fullbring.

"Hello? -" A familiar voice called out.

"Who are you? Can you please come out and tell us what's going on?" Orihime asked.

"But whyyyy? I don't wanna!" Orihime frowned at the familiar whining.

"Isshin? Isshin please come out, this isn't funny! We can't call anyone and -" Orihime was promptly interrupted by more whining.

"Why can't you just carry the groceries this one time? Daddy's  _really_  tired from work~"

"What?" Orihime questioned, supremely confused. Why was Isshin acting so strange?

"What was that? Wha - I thought I heard something... No, in the bushes. Probably just a cat..."

"Isshin are you alright?" Chad asked.

"Isshin are you alright?" Chad's voice asked back. Chad visibly started and a chill ran down Orihime's spine.

"Is there some holiday we forgot about today? A parade?"

"I'm calling Kisuke."

"Bad connection?"

"Who's there?!'

"Chad we need to get out of here  _now_." Orihime panicked. With that something burst out of the trees to fly at the two.

"Santen Kesshun!" Orihime screamed just in time.

The creature slammed straight into the glowing shield with a sick crunch, but somehow Orihime knew that wouldn't stop it. Up in a flash, the creature paused just long enough for the two to get a good look. Dark, twisted limbs too long for it's rotting body writhing with worms. This one had visible maggots unlike the last one. The last one? Pain lanced through Orihime's head without warning as the attacking creature began to blur wi _th other images._

_Lights flickered and sparked at the ends of darkened hallways._

_Blood on tiles._

_Screaming from a classroom._

_The lost haircl -_

_"Orihime!"_

"ORIHIME!"

Chad's voice bellowing above her jolted Orihime out of her painful reverie. She was up just in time to roll away from the revolting creature with a scream.

"Chad! What's happening?!" Orihime cried as Chad helped her stumble away.

"I don't know, but my head -!" Chad threw up his armored arm to protect the two as the creature threw itself at them again. Scrabbling on Chad's arm, the creature snapped viciously at his face, maggots slithering out from its flesh towards Chad. Immediately throwing it off of him, Chad flared his arm with reiatsu in an attempt to burn off the squealing maggots, but that only seemed to strengthen them.

"Don't move!" Orihime cried as she she activated a shield right on the skin of Chad's arm. Her shield repelled the worms with a burst that would have sheared off any normal human arm.

"Thanks!" Chad grunted as he stomped on the maggots. Not waiting for Chad to finish killing the maggots, Orihime brought up another shield between them and the recovering creature.

"Chad, I think Kisuke was right about these things being at the academy." Orihime panted. God she felt like she was going to pass out from this headache.

"I know, I'm starting to remember too, but we can't stay here." Chad huffed in apparently just as much strain as Orihime. The creature screamed in response, the sound only increasing Orihime's monster headache.

"I don't know if I can run, I feel like I'm going to pass out any second!" Orihime cried. Her hands were shaking now, but she refused to let down her shield.

"Then I'll carry you." Chad said stubbornly.

"Thanks!" Chad's voice exclaimed behind them.

"!"

The two whipped around to face a second creature waiting. Without even thinking, Orihime threw her hands out and screamed for Santen Kesshun. Immediately the pain in her head fell on her like a hammer and the world flew away from her yet again.

_"Keigo please! We shouldn't be here!" Orihime pleaded._

_"No way! Besides, we're almost to the place you lost the hair clip!" Keigo called from up ahead as they ran._

_"Keigo you moron! If we get caught we're telling the cops whose fault this really is!" Tatsuki hollered. Huffing, Orihime paused to lean against the wall with one arm._

_"Orihime?" Chad asked as he caught up. Orihime waved a hand as she caught her breath._

_"Don't worry abou -"_

_"I found it!" Keigo cried up ahead._

_"Really?" Orihime immediately perked up and left the wall. Jogging up to Keigo, Orihime saw that he did indeed have her hair clip._

_"Oh my goodness - thank you Keigo!" Orihime cried as she took her hair clip back and held it to her. Keigo propped himself against the wall with his elbow in what he thought was the "cool guy" pose as he tried and failed to pretend not to be winded._

_"Oh, you know me, Keigo the hero." He said in between huffs. "And do you know what heroes get for helping pretty damsels?" Keigo asked coyly as he leaned in._

_"A swift kick in the nuts?" Tatsuki asked from behind Keigo. Keigo squeaked and scrambled away._

_"I guess we can leave now... Wait, where's Mizuiro?" Orihime asked as she looked around._

_"Eh, he probably just got turned around while we were running. This is a pretty big school." Keigo said with a flippant shrug. Tatsuki snorted._

_"Whatever happened to being a hero? We can't just let Mizuiro wander around here on his own. Come on, let's go find him." Tatsuki said. With that they headed off back the way they came calling Mizuiro's name._

_"I don't know guys, he probably just got tired and decided to leave - not everybody's as fit as me." Keigo said with a sniff._

_"Or as loud!"_

_Keigo screeched when he heard Mizuiro suddenly speak up from behind. Mizuiro immediately clamped a hand over his mouth._

_"Shhh! Stop screaming Keigo! You're gonna get us caught..." Mizuiro said._

_"I think we're way past that. Where were you?" Tatsuki asked._

_"Down one of the other halls. I got turned around after I heard something down the wrong hallway. I thought it was you guys, but you weren't there when I went down it. All the lights down there are going a little crazy, so I left pretty quick." Mizuiro said. Keigo gasped._

_"It's gotta be a ghost dude! Everybody's saying how weird this place is, so it totally makes sense that the place is haunted!" Keigo exclaimed._

_"Seriously Keigo?" Tatsuki asked as she cocked an eyebrow._

_"No I'm serious! We gotta check it out! We could be real ghost hunters like Don Kanonji!" Keigo struck up the signature Kanonji pose with arms crossed against his chest._

_"Don Kanonji isn't a ghost hunter, dumbass! He's up, wake up wake up wake up w_ ake up wake up wake up wake up wake up -

"Wake up!" Chad cried as he shook Orihime. She came to choking and coughing unceremoniously on the ground.

"Wha - 'm up I'm up! What happened?!" Orihime exclaimed as she realized where she was.

"You passed out after you summoned two shields." Chad said. Orihime sat bolt upright at that.

"Two?! I've never been able to do that before!" She exclaimed.

"Probably because you've obviously only just gained your powers." Someone said with a sniff. Chad shifted to the side to let Orihime see Uryu standing in front of them holding some sort of glowing bow.

"Uryu? What are you doing here?" Orihime asked. It was then that she noticed the distinct lack of murderous creatures attacking them.

"I'm here because you two idio - er, you two  _novices_  were going to get yourselves killed. I sensed you two walking around unprotected while I was walking to school and felt you two being attacked. I was far enough away that I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but it seems you two have some interesting,  _strong_  powers... Either way, I arrived and killed the two creatures just after you passed out." Uryu said.

"Wow, thank you Uryu. I -" Another wave of pain made Orihime stop mid-sentence to clutch her head. Uryu immediately knelt down as Chad put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ow, I think I'm gonna pass out again..." Orihime said, slurring slightly.

"What is going on with you two? First you pass out and then Chad passes out while fighting!" Uryu said as he felt Orihime's forehead.

"Chad passed out?" Orihime asked and turned to Chad.

"I was going in and out while we were fighting, I just didn't have time to tell you. I passed out right after you put up the shield. You saved me." Chad said. Uryu snorted.

"Barely considering th - er, I mean, yes... Your shields held long enough for me to arrive." Uryu said. Orihime frowned. It wasn't that Uryu was normally mean, per se, but he was known for being pretty condescending. It seemed like he was actually trying to be nice to them...

"Whether or not you two are going to pass out again, we can't stay here. You can tell me what's going on with you two on the way." Uryu said.

"But aren't those creatures gone? I mean, the academy's right there anyway." Orihime said. Uryu shook his head.

"The academy's already on lockdown so they can't let you in. You guys are spiritually aware, but you really don't know what's going on, do you?" Uryu asked. The two shook their heads. Uryu sighed.

"These creatures are all over Karakura town attacking and hunting anything with a high enough reiatsu signature, so only normal humans are safe. Right now nowhere is safe and we're completely cut off from the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Karakura town is under attack." Uryu said.

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Alarms blared as figures frantically bustled around Ichigo, panting subject now forgotten in the chaos. Ichigo watched it all with dull eyes from his operating table, thankfully left closed up this time. There was a twitch in his left eye he was rather interested in at the moment, so he focused on that rather than all the other pains buzzing through his body. It was really hard to focus with all this screaming in his head. One twitch. Another. Was there a pattern to this?

_**Ichigo! Ichigo listen to me!** _

There it was again. How distracting. Should he talk to him right now?

**_You bastard, I can hear you! Yes you should talk to me! We have to get out of here!_ **

_Shiro, did you know you're voice sounds like breaking glass?_

**_What? Fuck, you're still drugged to kingdom come... Listen to me, just let me take over so we can leave, we already know that their restraints won't work against a hybrid so if -_ **

_No! No no no no, no I can't let them get to you I told you to go to sleep! Just sleep, please just sleep I can't let them hurt you just sleep..._

Ichigo continued to babble on increasing in panic. He couldn't let them get to Shiro, he couldn't let them into his inner world and hurt his own Zanpakuto, that was the one promise he had made dammit they were going to, oh god they, oh no no no no -

 _**Ichigo! It's okay, just stop, we're okay! Stop freaking out, no one's hurting us! Ichigo,** _ **please** _**, just let me take over. I promise no one is going to hurt me if I take over ok? The only person they're hurting is you...** _ **please** _**...** _

Shiro was begging with him, pleading. He never did that... But they had been arguing in the same loop for so long. Or at least Ichigo felt they had. What day was it? How long had it been? Oh, his eye twitch was back. Was there a pattern?

**_Ichigo! Focus!_ **

_Oh, Shiro. Are you drowning?_

**_No! I told you, I'm fine! You're the one who needs help here! If you would just let me take over - just for one fucking second! - I would be able to blow these restraints and we could escape! Even if you're all drugged up and loopy you can still run! I can help you for fuck's sake!_ **

_No! I promised! I promised I would keep you safe and stop those bastards on my own! I won't let them!_

**_Who are you talking about?! These people can't hurt me when I take over, all they can do is try to fight! I don't know who you're talking about but these people are not them. If you don't let me take over, I'll just do it myself!_ **

_You know you can't do that. We've been here at least three days and every time you try I make you sleep. I'll do it Shiro. I'll make you sleep._

Somewhere Ichigo knew he was scaring his Zanpakuto, but he didn't care. He would put him to sleep if he had to. He was responsible for them, and he would protect them any way he had to.

_**I'm starting to figure out where your freaky moods came from... Just what happened to you...?** _

Ichigo knew Shiro wasn't really talking to him, so he just went back to trying to ignore his pain. His fingers were twitching now too. Was there a correlation to his eye?

**_You can't just hide, you know. It's not like you to let people die._ **

That got his attention.

_Dying? No, I promised -_

**_I know you promised. Even back then that's all you'd talk about. You protect people no matter how horrific things get, so I'm surprised you've stopped now. Would've thought you'd be bustin' outta here to go stop them from killing everybody as soon as you heard the alarms._ **

_No, no they aren't here in this world, that's the one thing I... I... Oh god, the academy..._

**_They're out there in the World of the Living. I've been listening to these scientists while you count your fucking eye twitches and shit. Somebody opened a door they shouldn't have and now they're slipping into the World of the Living. Man, I remember how terrifying those things were even to a hollow like me, so I can understand if..._ **

_Why didn't you tell me?! No one here knows how to fight the Nejireta! Fuck fuck fuck fuck_

**_Hey, hey! Calm down, we can get outta here no problem, remember? We can do this, you just have to trust me, okay? You trust me. Right?_ **

_..._

_Right._

Ichigo could almost feel his hollow smiling.

-x-

**Rukia Kuchiki - Kisuke's Shop**

This was not how Rukia had imagined her second sleepover going. Considering how poorly the first one had went, Rukia had thought this one couldn't possibly be worse but as was happening way too often of late, she was dead wrong. And things were going so well too.

"On your left Shinigami!"

Rukia turned around just in time to see the attacking creature lunge at her. It was sliced in half before it could even get close enough to touch her, speed no much for Rukia's now that she finally had her seal lifted by Kisuke. Speaking of the strange shopkeeper, where the hell was he?! He was supposed to be working on getting them all weapons to fight these things from the shop while they defended outside.

"Thanks, but I do have a name you know!" Rukia called. The quincy boy fighting on the other side of the shop just snorted and shot the wriggling corpse with a modified reishi arrow. The miserable creature immediately set fire, effectively killing all maggots before they had a chance to leave the corpse. Fire was the only thing that seemed to kill these creatures, so Kisuke had first helped the quincy boy modify his arrows to react with reiatsu to combust.

"Well I didn't exactly have time to learn your name while I was busy saving your friends. And you don't know my name either!" The boy retorted.

They had been bickering back and forth like this the entire time they'd been defending the shop, but Rukia was actually glad for the company. It helped distract from the fact that both of her new friends had showed up unconscious but in clear pain. Kisuke had assured her that the pain was temporary and they would wake soon with all their memories intact, but that didn't make her feel any better. Even worse was when the quincy boy had told them just what kind of situation they were in. Both the Outreach and Quincy Academies were on permanent lockdown with all able staff inside the building, which meant over half of Karakura's fighting force were unable to help. Once a lockdown was activated it could only be lifted once the danger had passed via reinforcements from the Soul Society and quincies from the nearest training center. Only problem was the World of the Living was somehow completely cut off from the Soul Society and all communication was down. Even humans were unable to communicate on their devices which made cleanup harder. Luckily Yoruichi wasn't stuck in lockdown and was dealing with the situation saying it was simply a matter of the nearest cell towers and something called weefee or wifee or whatever happened to be down at the same time. It sounded like a load of crap to Rukia, but at least the humans were buying it for now.

"Fine then; Rukia Kuchiki." Rukia said as she blasted the nearest creature with kido.

"Uryu Ishida. What's a noble doing with us lowly quincies and humans?" Uryu asked with another blast.

"I already told you, I'm Karakura's new local shinigami and I quite enjoy being here with my  _friends_. What's an Ishida doing outside of the academy?" Rukia asked tersely. Even in the Soul Society the Ishida's were a name to remember. Soken Ishida was an incredible leader and advocate for quincy-shinigami relations and helped to enter the quincies and shinigami into a new era of partnership with his many ideas on using quincies as first responders.

"I don't attend any quincy academies. Even if I did, I wouldn't stay hiding while others were trapped outside." Uryu said in a strange tone. Odd... Most quincies Rukia had met refused to go to school and associate with normal humans, kind of like shinigami nobles...

"Hmm. Guess we're kind of in the same boat here U -"

"GET DOWN!"

Something flew overhead and Rukia ducked immediately. An explosion sent Rukia and Uryu skidding back towards the shop, fire reaching out in tongues to consume the creatures in a chain reaction. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the corpses quickly burned into nothing, maggots squealing pitifully inside their hosts. Rukia watched amazed as the fire seemingly put itself out once all the creatures were dead. The only thing that remained was charred bits and pieces and a couple of scorch marks in the clearing.

"Well, that worked fairly well I'd say." Kisuke said.

"You could've killed us!" Uryu spluttered as the two turned to see Kisuke fanning himself in the doorway.

"Maa~ Do you really trust me so little?" Kisuke whined in mock hurt. Uryu scoffed.

"I just met you, and you're literally just a spiritual wares keeper! How did you even make that?" Uryu exclaimed. Kisuke simply smiled and pulled out a handful of what looked to be cherry bombs from his robes.

"Oh these? Well I'll have you know that I do more than just keep spiritual wares - I produce them too! For only 500 yen you can get these little wonder-bombs made right here at Urahara Shoten! I'll even throw in a special discount once this whole 'entire town under siege' thing dies down!" Kisuke whispered leaning in.

"You can't possibly be selling these right now! People need these to kill those creatures!" Rukia said appalled.

"Rukia's correct - my arrows can only kill these things one at a time." Uryu said with a glare. Kisuke just waved his hand.

"Oh relax, of course I'm not selling them right now. All Super Effective Creepy Creature Killers are 100% free (with the Battle Discount of course) and available to all." Kisuke said. Uryu scrunched up his nose.

"...'Super Effective Creepy Creature Killers?'" Uryu asked slowly. Rukia sighed.

"You'll get used to it..." She assured.

"If you two are done admiring my product, Orihime and Chad are about ready to wake up." Kisuke said. Rukia brightened at that.

"Really? But what about staying outside and defending the shop?" Rukia asked. Kisuke pulled out what looked like a couple of closed umbrellas tied with thick rope. Each had a flier taped - no,  _stapled_  - to it advertising Kisuke's shop.

"That won't be necessary anymore. Once I figured out how to make a combustible material that would only target those creatures and their parasitical worms, I went to work on making a barrier that would activate in their presence. Stick these at an equal distance from each other around the shop and any creature that tries to cross it will die a very quick, fiery death. It shouldn't be too long until I have enough to spread around all of Karakura and start sourcing the gotei with." Kisuke said handing them the disguised barrier posts. Once they were done setting up, the two followed Kisuke into the shop.

"Now try not to startle them too much, remembering what happened at the academy is bound to be traumatic for them. They'll probably need a little time to sort themselves out before they can tell us what happened. And once they're done, I expect you'll be sharing with the class too..." Kisuke said looking at Uryu. Rukia stared at him curiously as he shifted.

"You weren't here when I was talking with Kisuke, but I know some things that'll help explain what's going on here." Uryu explained. Rukia nodded and let it rest as they came to Orihime and Chad's room. She was surprised to see Chad awake, but Orihime was still out cold.

"Ah, Chad, awake so soon?" Kisuke said. Chad started slightly and looked at him as if noticing him for the first time.

"...Kisuke... I..." Chad stumbled. Kisuke knelt down by him immediately.

"Take it easy there, everything's alright. I know you must have a lot to tell us, but we have time for all that once you're feeling better. For now just take it slow while we wait for Orihime to wake up." Kisuke said in a comforting tone. Chad nodded absently and looked beside him to see Orihime still resting.

"Orihime... Is she alright? And Rukia - where's Uryu?" Chad asked suddenly, looking around in distress.

"We're right here Chad, and everyone's fine. Orihime's just sleeping, but she'll be awake soon." Rukia said as she stepped further into the room. Chad relaxed a little and scooted back to lean back on the wall as he slowly got his bearings. It wasn't long before Orihime joined them, though her awakening was a bit more... violent.

"OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod" Orihime panted as Rukia tried to stop her from hyperventilating. At least she wasn't screaming and rolling around anymore...

"It's okay, you're safe now Orihime." Rukia soothed as she patted Orihime's back. Chad was pretty much back to normal and was helping calm her down too while Uryu just watched awkwardly.

"Holy crap, I haven't had nightmares that bad since Sora died... Oh man!" Orihime dropped her head into her hands.

"...I take it you remember everything?" Rukia questioned. Orihime nodded and took her head out of her hands with a deep breath.

"Yes. Kisuke was definitely right about one of those, those  _monsters_  being at the academy the night we broke in." Orihime said.

"I'm guessing you had the misfortune of meeting it too..." Kisuke said. Orihime and Chad looked at each other.

"I'd say we did more than meet." Chad said looking a bit pale. Kisuke hummed.

"And how very sorry I am that you had to remember that, but this is something everyone needs to hear. As Uryu requested, the Kurosakis will be here any minute with Yoruichi escorting them so we can begin once they get here." Kisuke said. Orihime frowned at Uryu.

"The Kurosakis? Why do they need to be here?" She asked. Rukia looked at Uryu too. She'd been here when Uryu had made his request, but he hadn't really explained his reasons for it.

"Well, when you explained to me what had happened and that Isshin and Masaki already knew about these creatures, I realized that you were as much in this mess as me. I have some stuff I need to say that they need to hear too." Uryu said. Kisuke fanned himself.

"An apt request considering the Kurosakis are his family too." Kisuke said. Orihime blinked in surprise.

"You're related? What does that make you to them? Like, a nephew?" Orihime asked. The sound of the shop door's bell ringing stopped Uryu from answering.

"Well why don't you ask them yourself?" Kisuke said as they heard the tell-tale crash of Isshin.

"UH, SOMEONE BROKE THIS WEIRD POT THINGY KISUKE... OH NOOOO, THEY GOT AWAY TOO BAD GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" Isshin cried loudly from the front of the shop. Kisuke just gripped his fan.

"Well we're here Kisuke." Yoruichi sighed as she came in with Masaki and the twins. Isshin stumbled in later, brightening immediately when he saw Orihime and Chad.

"Orihime! Chad! We heard what happened and were so worried! Mean old Yoruichi wouldn't let us leave the house..." Isshin pouted dramatically as he gave the two bear-hugs.

"How did those creatures not get you if you were at the house?" Orihime wheezed through the hug. Isshin let go.

"That's right, you never did make it to Kisuke's awake to hear everything that happened. We recently found out that Masaki has a living relative in Karakura town, her cousin Lena Godebert." Isshin said. Orihime gasped.

"Godebert? But that's Ichigo's mother! So Uryu's secretly related to you and you're secretly related to Ichigo which also makes  _Uryu_  secretly related to Ichigo!" Orihime put a hand on her head. "You know this is starting to feel like a movie... Or like something is pulling us all together..." Orihime said. Ichigo... Wasn't that that student Orihime and Chad had told Rukia about? Rukia had tried to look for his soul around the bridge, but he hadn't been there. Masaki laughed.

"And you haven't even heard what came next! I went to visit Lena and try to comfort her, but halfway through talking with her, she tried to kill me. Unfortunately it turned out that everything the police suspect and more about her are true. Her roommates ended up walking in on her trying to beat me to death with reishi powered brass knuckles, but she got away before we could do anything." Masaki said. Uryu snapped his head toward her.

"What?! But my father never told me anything about that..." Uryu said with a strangely guilty tone. Rukia might not be great at figuring out people in general, but she wasn't stupid either. Did what Uryu have to tell them have to do with this incident with Ichigo's mother?

"Well I'm not surprised. He probably didn't want you to feel bad since you had been the one to tell us about her - he even told us not to mention it to you. After that he kind of disappeared, said he had things to take care of at the academy." Masaki said with a shrug. Uryu frowned at that, but didn't say anymore.

"Speaking of the academy, Orihime and Chad finally have all their memories." Kisuke said.

"Well I should think so after the encounter you two had. Take your time." Yoruichi said encouragingly as they all sat down. A little flustered at all the sudden attention, Orihime turned to Chad and back to everyone.

"Oh, uh, well, I really don't know the best way to tell this, but I think I should start with us finding my hair-clip. Mizuiro had gotten separated from us while we were searching for it and found some hall with flickering lights. He told us about it and Keigo insisted we check it out because he thought the school was haunted... He ended up getting overly excited and ran off to go check it out. Not even halfway there we heard him scream, so we ran the rest of the way to a classroom he had wandered into. Chad was farther behind, so he didn't really see. There was blood everywhere in the classroom, but it was the dead teacher who was the worst." Orihime sucked in a breath. "She was all torn up and... and it was just awful. We were so focused on the body that we didn't even notice the creature... I couldn't see it, but Tatsuki seemed to be able to sense it. It began attacking us and Tatsuki tried to fight back, but we just couldn't see it. I thought for sure we were gonna die, but then Ichigo showed up out of nowhere. I remember being so confused because he was looking right where it was supposed to be as if he could actually see it. I've never seen him look so scared in my life. One moment he was standing there, the next he was on the ground bleeding from his shoulder. Something happened and suddenly it felt like I was holding my breath. Then Ichigo screamed and it felt like I was being crushed. All the lights started going crazy and exploding. I passed out at that point, but I do remember hearing something crash at the end of the hallway." Orihime finished.

"Wha - but none of the records show him being there! I checked over them myself!" Rukia said. Even Kisuke looked surprised. In fact, the only one who didn't look surprised was Uryu... He had the same expression on his face he had when he found out Masaki had been attacked. Rukia narrowed her eyes.

"You know you don't seem very surprised Uryu." Rukia said. Uryu adjusted his glasses.

"...I already knew Ichigo was there. That's what I wanted to talk to you about, even more so now that you guys are already in the the thick of things... I knew Ichigo was there because I found his beanie, orange hair and everything. My father and I were dropping off some papers Mrs. Daan had requested, so while he was talking with another teacher, I went to Mrs. Daan's office to drop them off. I noticed a strange quincy cross stuck in the carpet and accidentally broke the lock on one of her desk drawers trying to unstick it. I stumbled upon Ichigo's beanie completely by chance. When I saw that it was covered in blood, I got suspicious and started looking through the rest of the drawer. I found a file with tons of papers on people, mostly quincies." Uryu paused slightly.

"My mother was in there. She was labeled as executed." Uryu said. The room was silent for a moment, but Uryu seemed to gather himself again and continued.

"My father and I were in there as well, but Ichigo's stood out the most and was probably the largest. The people who made that file had been watching him ever since he'd been born and knew what Lena was doing to him - she had one too and was labeled as rejected - but hadn't done anything about it. He was labeled as failed and had pages and pages of medical records. There was a big chunk missing from ages eight to eleven. After that I took a look at the papers Mrs. Daan had requested, which was a quincy family tree. That's how I found out about how everyone was related." Uryu said. Kisuke and Yoruichi were watching him intently now.

"You wouldn't happen to have those files, would you?" Kisuke asked. Uryu scoffed.

"And make them come after me? No way. I did however, take pictures of everything I saw." Uryu said. Rukia thought she saw Kisuke smile, but it was gone in a second.

"So they still don't know about you?" Kisuke mused partly to himself.

"Most likely not. If they did, I would probably be dead by now. I kind of made the mistake of finding that out myself..." Uryu said, rubbing the back of his neck somewhat sheepishly.

"You went back to investigate, didn't you?" Yoruichi said. Rukia wasn't sure if her smile was patronizing, or approving. Probably both. Uryu nodded.

"Yes, I did. I broke into Mrs. Daan's classroom at night and tried to find her file, but it wasn't in there anymore. Before I could do anything else I heard a bunch of quincies coming so I hid in the teacher's closet. Turns out they were some kind of cult and I had accidentally found their meeting place." Uryu said looking supremely uncomfortable at the memory.

"A cult? In Karakura town? Now that really does sound more like a movie than real life." Rukia said crossing her arms.

"Welcome to Karakura." Half the room said. Rukia just pinched her nose. Of all the towns to get assigned to...

"Normally I wouldn't make such wild accusations, but they were quite literally a cult. I overheard their entire meeting and they have sources everywhere - they've been around long enough that they have _centuries of planning_. They've completely twisted what it is to be a quincy taking the old ideologies literally and - and, they completely hate all the other races which sadly isn't far off from the old quincies on a strictly historical standpoint but that's not really the point - Even the ones they were sworn to protect they refer to as, as filth! Humans were the first to become quincies and yet they liken themselves to  _gods_ , the holy warriors and judges of this world -" Masaki started waving her hands to try and cut off Uryu who was pretty much ranting now.

"Woah, woah, slow down Uryu. We can handle this, trust me." Masaki said offering Uryu a reassuring smile. Uryu just cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, slipping back into his usual cool and collected demeanor. Rukia didn't know the boy that well, but she could tell from the way that Chad and Orihime were watching him it wasn't normal for something to visibly upset him.

"Now, you say holy warriors and judges of this world... You don't mean like...?" Masaki asked.

"Quincies sind die heiligen Krieger und Richter dieser Welt, und unser Recht ist göttlich." Uryu said. Rukia just looked between the two now grim-faced quincies.

"And for the non-German speaking people...?" She questioned. This time it was Kisuke who answered.

"'Quincies are the holy warriors and judges of this world, and our right is divine.' Other races don't pay much attention to it, but this phrase is probably the greatest summary of the Quincy Pride and most well-known set of words across the generations. Today quincies use it as a reminder of their sacred duty, but the phrase actually originates from an execution order given by the Old Quincies to commence one of the largest genocides in shinigami history. We can guess which meaning this particular group of quincies goes by." Kisuke said with a dark look. Rukia shivered a little. She'd heard of a quincy-caused genocide, but virtually no living souls remembered it and those that did refused to talk about it. It was just one of those conflicts lost to time.

"Lena said that exact phrase to me before she got away." Masaki said with a pensive look. Uryu sighed.

"Then that only confirms it. I suspected that Lena must have been a member of the cult from hearing them talk about her, but I wasn't quite sure. They were using her to try and create a hybrid, a child born a human, quincy, shinigami, and hollow... Ichigo." Uryu said. For a moment it was silent, but everyone soon began talking at once. Kisuke quickly shut down the chaos with a nod to Yoruichi who slammed her fist onto the table. All eyes turned to Kisuke.

"Have any of you ever seen a hybrid? No?" Kisuke asked. Everyone shook their heads. "Then you've at least heard of them, newly enlightened company excluded. The Vizards are shinigami-hollow hybrids. Artificial arrancar are hollow-shinigami hybrids. Gemischt quincies could even be considered quincy-human hybrids. Do you know what all of these have in common?" Kisuke asked, focus mostly on Uryu.

"All are crosses between two races only, all are created - not born - , and each has to have a specific order and mix of races in order to survive." Kisuke continued. "I have had the extreme misfortune of seeing the result of these requirements not being met and trust me when I say there is a reason creating hybrids is punishable by death. In all the billions of years of research and experiments, no scientist has been able to create anything close to what you claim Ichigo is. Hybrids cannot exist as a cross of more than two races. Hybrids cannot be born. This is why Karin and Yuzu cannot manifest shinigami or quincy powers until they die, and even then the balance will be incomplete." Kisuke said. Uryu adjusted his glasses again, an obvious tick now.

"I am aware of how serious and far-fetched a hybrid like Ichigo sounds, but it all lines up. I have no idea how Ichigo survived birth or even early childhood, but I do know that he had a seal placed on him that either hid or prevented his powers from manifesting until after he died. When he died, his hollow powers raged out of control and he became the rogue hollow Rukia was hunting. After that he went to Hueco Mundo where he tipped off the Las Noches Imperio by evolving twice; first by feasting in the Forest of Menos, then fighting an Espada. He ran away to the Soul Society using a technique no one had seen before - which a hybrid of more than two races could create - and was captured by two captains. These people believe in Ichigo's being a hybrid enough that they're looking for a way to get him back from Mayuri's lab. They've already taken his human body; this is just the second step." Uryu said.

"Oh my god... This has all been just a distraction..." Masaki said as realization dawned on her.

"Keep the gotei and the Lichtenreich busy trying to deal with Karakura town while they sneak into the Soul Society and take Ichigo from Mayuri's lab. No one will notice if one stray experiment disappears in the chaos - a perfect plan." Yoruichi said. Kisuke stood up and immediately called for Tessai.

"We need to get a pathway open to the Soul Society as soon as possible. Tessai, prep the basement Senkaimon and get Jinta to bring me my list of contacts. Uryu, I need you to tell me as many of the people in this 'cult' as you can remember. Everyone head to the back lab." Kisuke said. With that everyone got up to follow Kisuke, Masaki stopping the twins just before they could leave.

"Oh come on! Ichigo's our, uh, relative? Cousin?" Karin protested. Masaki just shook her head.

"You girls were as involved in this as you needed to be by listening in on the meeting. All I need from you now is to take care of your sister and  _stay with Kisuke_." Masaki said. Karin just grumbled, but was placated at the mention of her responsibility to her sister.

x

"Hand me that sheet. No, not that one. The other - yes that's it." Kisuke said.

The back lab was bustling with working people and whirring machines as everyone worked to get Kisuke the information he needed. The sooner Kisuke had all his information, the sooner they could form a plan of attack and get to work. Rukia was currently tasked with going over the report on Ichigo Kisuke had pirated from the Soul Society (which she still had no idea how he managed to do, shady bastard). Kisuke had warned her that the report would be sparse, but this was ridiculous! There were no pictures, personal information, or appearance description for Ichigo anywhere in the tiny report and half of it was already redacted. All it said was who had captured Ichigo, where and with who he was found, powers displayed, what race he was, and what his current status was. "Nullified." Nowhere did it say that Ichigo was being used as a test-subject by Mayuri...

"How are we with the report? Do we know who all knows about Ichigo?" Kisuke asked. They needed to know in case they knew one of them well enough to possibly get their help. Kisuke could only patch one call through the communication block, so it had to count.

"Only the two captains and assisting shinigami who captured him and the two civilian souls who were witnesses. The witnesses are both children from no-name families, so nothing there." Rukia said.

"And the shinigami?" Isshin asked. Apparently he had some favors waiting in the Soul Society for him, so he was waiting for the report too.

"The captains were Mayuri himself and Byakuya Kuchiki with his sixth-seat -" Rukia stumbled a little when she saw the name. "- er, Abari, sixth-seat Renji Abari." She hadn't seen Renji for such a long time... When had he become sixth-seat? Orihime sat up from where she was helping Masaki and Chad sort through papers.

"Byakuya? Isn't he your brother/not brother? Oh that's perfect! A captain could get Ichigo out no problem!" Orihime explained. Rukia couldn't help but hope for a moment, but she knew better. Her brother would not choose her over the gotei.

"No. Byakuya and I may be technically family, but he is ultimately loyal to the gotei. He will not help us out of sheer duty." Rukia said with a sad shake of her head. Kisuke stopped fiddling with his machines to turn to her, face dead serious.

"Are you  _absolutely_  certain of this? If there is even the slightest chance that you can convince your adoptive brother to help Ichigo escape, we need to take it. Tessai has already tried several times to open some sort of path to the Soul Society, but it seems the problem is in the Dangai. These quincies have somehow been preventing the Cleaner from keeping the Dangai clear for an entire month unnoticed which means all passages are clogged." Kisuke said. Rukia frowned.

"Can't you just open a Senkaimon or have an arrancar embassy open a Garganta?" She asked. Kisuke shook his head.

"Normally Senkaimons and Gargantas are straight doors between worlds, but the overflowing currents of time are bleeding into every passage that opens. The only way to get to and from the World of the Living now is by making a path not tied to our worlds... a path like the one Ichigo made. It's a stretch, but from reading the report on Ichigo's pseudo-Garganta and matching up my own readings from the time, Ichigo might be able to open and sustain a path between worlds. If we can somehow find a way to get Ichigo out of Mayuri's lab and tell him to open a path we can not only prevent the cult from capturing him, but finally get reinforcements into Karakura town.  _Are you sure there is no one you can ask to do this?_ " Kisuke repeated. Rukia hesitated, looking from the report to everyone in the room.

"Byakuya will not help us..." Rukia said. She took a deep breath and looked at the second name.

"But I think there's someone else who I can ask."

-x-

**Ichigo ?.?.?**

_**AAAAHHAHAHAHHHAHHHAAAAAAA! GET 'EM! GET 'EM! FINALLY AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!** _

Ichigo snarled at the voice screaming in his head. He didn't like loud things.

 ** _Okay okay, I'm sorry... Jeez, never did know why you hat noise so much..._**  The voice muttered.

Ichigo whined and clawed at his blood-spattered head. He didn't like this, he just wanted to get away from these people and hide but all he could do right now was to rip apart anything that came too close to him. He was angry and hurting, so much hurting and pain and oh was he scared. The blaring lights, the screaming people either running away from him or running at him, glass tubes shattering as machines broke down all brought the chaos to a crescendo of overstimulation.

One of the scientists desperately trying to escape the lab tripped on a piece of debris to come tumbling down directly into Ichigo. The two screamed as Ichigo raised one clawed hand to shred the unfortunate woman out of reflex, but the sheer terror in the scientist's eyes made him jerk and push the woman out of the way instead. He was angry, hurt, and scared, but the fear he saw mirrored in these people's eyes made all that rage and bloodlust twist back into self-loathing. He felt like the real monster here as people fled from him... He couldn't even think straight, the only reason he could even remember what his name was because of this voice screaming at him.

**_Oh fuck not again - SNAP OUT OF IT! WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANOTHER BREAKDOWN! THEY'RE THE ONES WHO HURT YOU AND THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT! THEY DESERVE THIS FOR WHAT THEY DID TO YOU! Just get out of here - you can summon my blade later and_ then _we'll see about getting you aware again!_**

Ichigo dodged a glowing net and fired a cero at the offending hunters. Ignoring the screaming voice, Ichigo made a beeline for where he knew his zanpakuto was being held. Seeing where he was headed, the scientists and shinigami attempting to capture him started scrambling to get between him and his target. Screaming his battle cry, Ichigo immediately dropped his reiatsu down on the lab, shattering the lights and forcing everyone to their knees. Flying over the struggling defenders, Ichigo threw out one hand to his zanpakuto, silently calling to it.

**_YOU IDIOT! YOU CAN CALL ME TO YOU EVEN WHEN YOU'RE OUTSIDE!_ **

Unable to resist the force of a zanpakuto called, the glass container suspending Ichigo's blade in suppressive jelly shattered as it flew end over end into Ichigo's waiting hand. He could tell the voice was mad at him and knew it wanted him to leave his weapon, but other than that it was just strange jabber that fell meaningless on his lizard brain. Weapon in hand, Ichigo let up on his reiatsu just enough to surprise everyone with the sudden change of atmosphere so he could barrel over the scientists and shinigami blocking his way. Dodging nets and sealing spells, Ichigo hopped over machines and even other subjects as he made his way across the massive lab. He could smell fresh air just outside this building somewhere to his left, so he turned his path of chaos in that direction.

_**BLAST IT! BLAST IT NOW! THEY'RE CALLING THAT SADISTIC FREAK - THE CAPTAIN! BLAST THIS SHITTHOLE!** _

Ichigo could feel the voice pushing furiously at his reiatsu to try and get him to release a cero from his horns, but they weren't close enough to the wall yet. Ichigo tried to shove the voice down and gain back control, but the voice was dark and oppressive in his soul. For that brief second when he brushed up against the surface, he could feel himself again with the sudden realization of what he was doing - what he had agreed to. But oh was he sick, and his body couldn't fight this disease without his hollow so once again he fell back into his darkness.

Cero charging between his horns, Ichigo stopped running abruptly to fire it straight through the lab. Charging a massive hole through walls, machines, and really anything between Ichigo and the exit, the cero burst out through the side of the lab with a massive explosion. Not pausing to survey the damage, Ichigo bolted straight through his makeshift path like the angry naked juggernaut he was.

_**THAT'S IT! EAT SHIT MAYURI!** _

Blinded for a moment by the sun, Ichigo stumbled slightly on the grass littered with debris but refused to slow down. Now that there was room, he shot away with a burst of shunpo/sonido past stunned shinigami. Now that he was out of the lab, Ichigo immediately squashed down on his massive reiatsu save what tiny portion he was using for speed. He couldn't articulate the need to conceal his reiatsu in this state, but he could  _feel_  just how much of a beacon he was when he chose power over stealth.

**_Alright, I already had you burn off that stupid tracker - dumbass thought we wouldn't notice, that stupid bastard - so we should be good. I promise you can take control when we get somewhere safe... Just keep running._ **

Ichigo didn't understand his words, but he could feel the meaning behind them. Control. But he had to wait... Ichigo huffed and pushed himself faster over the rooftops flying beneath him. No one noticed him as he flashed by, an unseen blur even to the most perceptive shinigami. Right now it would take at least a second-seat level shinigami to even notice him as he fled. He could smell where such shinigami were - quite a few of which were heading his way - so he avoided those areas. It was difficult avoiding so many people, but Ichigo could feel himself getting closer to freedom as the ornate buildings became simpler and smaller. It wasn't long before he saw a massive wall separating the shinigami from the civilians. He could sense some sort of shinigami waiting by it, but the signature was a little confusing... It felt like some sort of giant man or something guarding the gate. Not taking any chances, Ichigo veered away from the soul to bound over the wall.

_**Yes that's it! Don't stop now - try to get somewhere secluded like that forest you fought in. You remember the forest? The forest?** _

Hazy images flashed in Ichigo's mind as he ran of trees and children's faces and he turned to find that place. It smelled like sunny creeks and cool trees... Little by little the houses became smaller until they were huts as he ran. A few more bounds and he was finally dropping down into a vast stretch of trees. Ichigo stumbled on the forest floor to his knees as he panted furiously.

**_Okay, easy there Ichigo... Jeez, I don't think even hollowification is enough for you now. You need to rest._ **

Ichigo just panted silently, shaking with adrenaline and whatever other drugs were racing through his system. He hadn't realized just how exhausted he was until he had stopped. Once he managed to calm down a little, Ichigo looked around him. He could smell something, but the voice wasn't done with him yet.

_**Fuck I shouldn't be doing this, but a promise is a promise. Don't think that I won't be talking with you later! Your stupid ass can't stay safe for five seconds even in this weird pansy-land! And that's another thing - you're telling me where the hell we are and what the fuck's going on around in this crazy shit-show! Now take back your body, greedy little...** _

The voice's aggravated muttering blurred together as the forest swayed around him.

x

Ichigo awoke with a gasp and promptly choked on his own blood. Coughing and hacking, Ichigo spit onto the ground and squinted up at the trees sheltering him above.

**_ICHIGO!_ **

Ichigo jolted and fell onto his side.

_Fuck! Don't do that Shiro!_

**_What else am I supposed to do?! I gave you back control and you started bleeding out!_ **

Ichigo immediately sat up as the day's events rushed back into him.

_How long have I been out?!_

**_Relax, it was only for a minute or two. At least now you're awake to actually realize you need to run..._ **

Stumbling to his feet with a pained grunt, Ichigo was suddenly acutely aware of how naked he was.

_**Oh come on, you big baby. It's not like I could find any clothes for you while we were gettin' the hell out of dodge! Speaking of which, how's it feel to be free with the help of yours truly? Come on, I'm waiting~ Go on, take your first step since last, uh, Tuesday? as a free motherfucker!** _

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo couldn't help but silently oblige. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo took his first step in days to freedom -

And right onto his face as something flew out of the trees to wrap around his body. Crying out, Ichigo struggled against the thick black straps pinning his arms and legs together. He tried to roll around to his side, but someone grabbed him by the arms to lift him off the ground. Struggling and cursing the entire way, Ichigo was flipped around to see who his attackers were.

"You were certainly hard to find." Said the one holding him, a man in a captain's jacket with medium-length wavy brown hair and glasses.

For a moment his gentle eyes flared in some sort of mix of surprise and maybe even, recognition? But it was gone in a second. He was kind looking and had a very gentle air about him, but for some reason Ichigo couldn't help but recoil from him in horror and fear. Every bone in his body was telling him to get as far away from this man as possible, but no matter how much reiatsu he poured into these restraints, they only grew tighter.

"Don't do that Tensa, you'll just make this worse..."

Ichigo whipped his head around to see Renji just behind his captor holding some sort of release device. He must have seen the pain and fear in Ichigo's eyes because he looked away then and put the device away.

"Tensa... Mayuri didn't tell me you had a name when he sent Abari and I to capture you. Funny, that name doesn't seem to suit you." The man said. For some reason those words made Ichigo even more nervous.

"Well, I know your name and you already know Abari's name, so I think it's only proper that I introduce myself. I'm Captain Aizen Sosuke, but you can just call me Aizen. We'll take good care to make sure you make it to Mayuri's lab." He said. Aizen leaned in and gave Ichigo a warm smile that made Ichigo's skin crawl.

"I promise."

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Well things are really kicking off now. I'm just warning you guys now that my update schedule is gonna be kind of rough for a while. I've been trying to keep it steady despite how busy I am, but that's really becoming a struggle. Part two might come a little earlier and it might come a little later (though hopefully earlier).  
> Thank you for all the feedback and feel free to let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 13: Under Attack Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As forewarned, a day late.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

Inner Speech/Thoughts

**_Shiro (Zangetsu)_ **

**The Old Man/Ossan (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 13: Under Attack Part 2**

-x-

**Renji Abari**

Renji rushed past buildings teaming with other shinigami rushing about in a similar fashion in what could only be described as pure chaos. Everything was a mess ever since they had discovered that the Soul Society was completely cut off from the other worlds. No one could open any paths without nearly getting sucked into the currents of time, and communication was a complete bust. Right now they were solely relying on Hell Butterflies to deliver messages like the one Renji had gotten moments ago. Apparently Byakuya needed him to report to him immediately, bur for what he didn't know. He sincerely hoped it was to try and call Rukia since he'd heard rumors that Karakura town had sent a distress signal five minutes before the communication shut down. He knew how rumors flew around the gotei, but he couldn't help but worry more than a little. He and Rukia hadn't spoken in forever, but Renji still kept tabs on her after Kaien's death so he knew that Rukia was dealing with a whole bunch of weird events in Karakura town from the death of an academy teacher to the disappearance of a rogue hollow. All it had taken last time was a rogue hollow, so he couldn't help but think... what was stopping something similar from happening again?

Renji cursed. Rukia was a grown shinigami, she could take care of herself just fine without him. She'd made that abundantly clear. If not for Kaien's untimely death, Renji had no doubt Rukia would be a seated officer by now training with the best of them. Right now Renji just needed to focus on doing his part to open up the worlds again. He would worry about his friend when he knew for certain she needed help. Reaching Byakuya's office, Renji paused to knock on the frame in case his captain was busy.

"Come in Renji." Byakuya called. Stepping inside quickly, Renji was surprised to see his normally organized captain's office a mess of papers and assistants.

"You sent for me taichou?" Renji prompted. Byakuya nodded from where he was holding several Hell Butterflies.

"Mayuri has just sent word to me that he needs your assistance in evacuating the lab of subjects to make room for more equipment." Byakuya signaled for his assistants to leave the two.

"That arrancar you helped to capture is still alive and needs to be transported discreetly, so it can only be done by someone who already knows about it. No one else is to learn of it or its location during transport. It will be sedated and restrained in a carrier when you arrive. Mayuri will tell you where to place it." Byakuya said. Renji swallowed. He'd purposely avoided thinking about Tensa after he was taken to the lab, but now he'd be forced to see him after the horror show of experiments and torture. It hadn't really occurred to him before that some of Mayuri's experiments might not all be mindless hollows and dangerous criminals who'd already been judged. Tensa had gotten no trial, no way to defend himself.

"Yes taichou." Renji said reluctantly. It didn't really matter what he felt about this, an order was an order. It was in vain, but he hoped that by some miracle Mayuri would decide Tensa was better as a part of the gotei, like Nemu, and stopped using him as an experiment. Renji hesitated though as he went to leave, Byakuya looking up questioningly.

"Er, taichou, do you think it would be entirely useless to try and call Rukia? I still have her number on my old denreishinki..." Renji said. Byakuya gave a slight shake of his head.

"I already tried. You may try to call her after you help Mayuri, but as far as we know she is out of reach." Byakuya said. Renji bowed in thanks and quickly left the office.

He really shouldn't be surprised that Byakuya had tried to call his adoptive sister, but even to him the man had shown little interest in her. Renji knew deep down the man really did care for her, he just wasn't great at showing it despite how much Rukia clearly wanted to please him. Shaking his head, Renji focused on navigating the bustling sixth division on his way to the lab.

"Oy! Watch where you're going!" Renji exclaimed as he was elbowed and plowed through in the clogged walkways. This was getting ridiculous.

Fed up, Renji leaped above the crowd to balance on the roof. Much better. He was off with a bound, careful not to collide with the lesser foot traffic in the skies as he headed straight for the lab. Buildings flew beneath him as he ran across the divisions in chaos. From what they could tell things, were only getting worse the longer this isolation went on, for all the worlds. The more the Dangai went without being cleaned, the more the currents of time would overflow into the other worlds. In the Dangai the currents of time were just a buildup of thick purple gook, but in the actual worlds it became a highly unstable mass distorting the flow of time in that area. Renji didn't fancy being consumed by the currents of time and being scattered across time and space, so he could at least agree with trying to clear more space for Mayuri to find a solution.

The closer Renji got to the lab, the more he felt something nagging at the back of his mind. At first he thought it was just the guilt of seeing Tensa again, so he tried to ignore it and continue on. But by the fourth post he passed, he was definitely beginning to feel that something was off. He tried to get a few discreet glances around him, but there wasn't anything there. Maybe he was being paranoid, but something in Renji's gut told him to hide. Coming up on Shino Academy's outdoor training grounds, a broad forest off-limits to students currently, Renji flashed down into the trees instead of going over them. Quickly flashing up ahead, Renji hid by a tree and waited. And waited. And waited... and waited... and... It felt like he'd been waiting forever when Renji finally decided he was being stupid.

_Dammit, this is ridiculous!_

Renji cursed himself for acting like an idiot as he finally left his spot. He took one flash step forward only to ran smack into the back of somebody.

"!"

Renji fell back holding his nose to land flat on his ass. The man Renji had accidentally ran into was stumbling around on his hands and knees patting the ground. With a jolt, Renji saw the captain's coat and realized who it was.

"A-aizen-taichou! - Here, let me help you find your glasses." Renji scrambled to find the practically blind captain's glasses on the forest floor. There they were!

"I found them! My deepest apologies for running into you and losing your glasses." Renji stammered as he handed Aizen his glasses, bowing deeply in apology and embarrassment. Aizen quickly waved his hands as soon as he could see again.

"Oh no, no - if anything I should be apologizing! I hope I didn't make you think you were being followed." Aizen said with a forgiving smile. Renji rubbed his arm.

"Er, you kind of did, but I was just being paranoid. What are you doing here?" Renji asked. Aizen picked himself up and dusted himself off.

"Ah, I was heading to the lab to help with the subject evacuation - I thought I sensed someone in the forest grounds when I was running and worried that some student was trying to skip class. I came down here to possibly find the wayward youngster and take them back to class, but I guess I should really check the reiatsu level before I go snooping!" Aizen said scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Now Renji really felt stupid. It was pretty common knowledge how often Aizen helped out at the lab so others didn't have to, so it made sense that he was being called to help now.

"I'm assuming you were called to help with the evacuation too?" Aizen prompted. Renji nodded.

"I just got the order to help transport one of the high-security subjects in secret, so I probably won't be able to help you..." Renji said. Aizen hummed thoughtfully.

"What a coincidence - I'm also supposed to help with a high-security subject needing a stealth transport. Last I checked there was only one arrancar at the lab..." Aizen said holding his chin.

"Wha - that sounds like the exact guy I'm supposed to transport. But I was told I would be transporting alone because no one else knew about him." Renji said. Aizen scratched the back of his head again.

"Oh, that's right! I read that you helped bring him in... I went over the lab's records like I always do to help with processing, so I know about even the more hush-hush subjects. I hope that doesn't mean something's gone wrong with sedation now that I've been called." Aizen said with a concerned frown. Renji shivered slightly remembering the strength Tensa had shown. They were one captain short of what it would take to bring him in...

"Well, more reason to get there quickly." Renji said preparing himself for one hell of run.

Lucky for him, Aizen was an incredibly considerate man and made sure to go at a pace Renji could still keep up with as they headed for the lab. Renji was silently grateful for this, he was making it almost easy to keep up with him despite being a captain. Watching the lab appear in the horizon though, Renji began to realize that Aizen wasn't actually moving all that slower... Had he gotten faster since his fight with the Necromancer and Tensa? With the lab finally in view, Aizen stopped on one of the surrounding buildings. Flashing beside him, Renji looked at him curiously.

"Did you happen to hear - ? I, oh nevermind. It's nothing." Aizen shook his head as if clearing some thought. Turning to Renji, Aizen raised his eyebrows.

"Still going strong? I must say I'm impressed Renji, very few sixth seats can keep up with a captain and remain un-winded. Your reiatsu seems much stronger too... I smell a promotion." Aizen praised. Renji didn't quite know what to say, but he did feel a swell of pride at those words. He hadn't really noticed how stronger he'd gotten what with all the craziness going on, so it was a bit surprising.

"You'll have to stop by and show me just how much you've progressed, just the two of us." Aizen said. Now Renji really didn't know what to say. Being invited to train with a captain even if he was his former was a great honor!

"Really? Well, I -" Massive pressure suddenly interrupted Renji to force him down on his knees.

Aizen withstood the pressure only slightly bending under the weight, but Renji could see him visibly struggling. Gritting his teeth, Renji felt his stomach drop when he began to recognize the reiatsu. Dark and oppressive, this was the reiatsu of an arrancar, and a powerful one at that. As suddenly as it had began, the pressure stopped. Renji wordlessly drew his blade with Aizen as the two rushed to cover the distance. As soon as they got close enough, Renji realized the alarms were ringing.

"I thought I heard something, we were just too far from the lab to hear the alarms!" Aizen called back to Renji over the rushing wind.

To Renji's further horror, a red beam of light shot out through the side of the lab in a massive explosion. A flash of white caught Renji's attention, but they were still too far away to tell what it was. By the time they got there they could hear something else blaring over the alarms, but it sounded like... screaming? For a terrifying moment Renji thought it was the sound of someone in pain, but then he began to hear the voice. Now he was scared for a different reason.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT IT DID I GAVE YOU WORTHLESS WORMS ONE JOB AND YOU DISAPPOINT ME ON EVERY CONCEIVABLE LEVEL! I USE THE BEST OF THE BEST AND YET NOT ONE OF YOU IS COMPETENT ENOUGH TO GO AFTER IT?! USELESS!" Mayuri screeched at his terrified subordinates, turning from shinigami to shinigami. Whirling around to Renji and Aizen still screaming, Mayuri immediately shoved something covered in cloth into Renji's arms.

"You go get that infuriating subject since none of these USELESS RATS can do it! This will capture and secure it - I made sure to design it like a crossbow so even a basic monkey like you could understand. NEMU! WHERE IS THAT GIRL?!" Mayuri resumed screeching, completely ignoring the two now.

"We should get going..." Aizen said leading Renji away from the raging captain. "The only issue I have is tracking the arrancar down, you don't happen to know his signature, do you?" Aizen asked as the two ran in the direction Tensa had left. Renji went to say no, but hesitated.

"Well, no. But, I do have a hunch on where Tensa might have gone..." Renji said.

x

"I promise."

Tensa reeled back at the captain's words in absolute horror despite the gentle smile Aizen was giving him. The entire scene made Renji sick. He had to look away again as Tensa's wide eyes flicked to Renji. He looked like a cornered animal.

"...Let's just go." Renji said.

"Wha - NO NO NO NO NO! You don't want to do this I know what's going on you can't take me back to the lab they won't listen to me there YOU NEED MY HELP!" Tensa cried as he began to violently struggle in Aizen's grip.

"Ah - ! Renji I can't hold -" Aizen stumbled under Tensa's frantic struggling, Renji quickly rushing over to aid the man in restraining him.

"I CAN'T STAY HERE I - YOU CAN'T JUST - Augh!" Tensa cried as he fell to the ground when Renji's grip slipped. The rough landing left him coughing and choking on that black blood Renji'd seen him bleeding during their fight. Renji immediately felt bad seeing the expression of pain on his face from landing on his bony back. Oh gods, he looked even skinnier than before, if that was even possible...

"Well!" Aizen huffed. "If you would just stop screaming we could take you back to the lab safe and sou - oof!" Aizen clutched his shin where Tensa had promptly kicked him with both feet.

"DON'T YOU GET IT?! Nowhere is safe with those monsters in Karakura and I'm the only one who actually knows how to kill those things! Why have none of you gone to the World of the Living yet?! DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO DIE?!" Tensa frantically cried through his pained coughing. A thrill of fear went down Renji's spine at those words and more importantly, the fear and panic in them. He knew he should just write them off as the desperate words of an arrancar going to his grave, but the genuine fear and conviction in Tensa's words made his claims feel too real. Aizen seemed unsettled as well, but he seemed bent on taking Tensa away.

"Please try to calm down Tensa, it is true that our communications and pathways have all been cut off, but we have every confidence that the World of the Living is safe." Aizen said in a soothing voice as he inched closer. Renji wanted to agree with those words and just get this over with, but he knew that that wasn't completely true. Aizen was completely ignoring the distress signal...

"That's not what it looked like at the lab!" Tensa spat. Renji felt another ping of doubt. Tensa  _had_  been in the lab among all the scientists and Mayuri himself, so unfortunately he would probably know more than them. The research department were notoriously secretive and tight-fisted.

"...What kind of monsters are we talking about anyways?" Renji asked hesitantly. Aizen shot him a disapproving look as if to say  _stop encouraging him_. Tensa stopped struggling and locked eyes with him, dead serious.

"The only true name they have is in hollow-speak, _ **t̷̼̪̄̍ ḥ̴̋̑ e̴̤͑̇ ̵͖̊̔͠t̴̲̙̣̓ w̶̦͈̺̽̒͘ ḭ̸̢͐̚ ș̶̢̽̀ t̸̟̽̽ e̴͕̲͒͑ d̶̡̪̖̿̈́ ̴̻̅̀o̴̠͒ n̷̯̰̿ͅ e̶͙͂ ś̵̖̥͙̈́͂**.._ " Renji subconsciously recoiled at the grating sound, Tensa's voice dropping to a harsh double-toned series of half-growl half-speech as he hissed out the "name." The rough guttural sound from his throat made him hack and cough more, but his point was made.

"What the hell was that?!" Renji exclaimed.

"I told you,  _hollow-speak_ , but the closest name they take in normal languages are the Nejireta." Tensa said impatiently. He was starting to look a little frantic again, but Aizen didn't seem to notice that at all.

"You say hollow-speak, but hollows can speak in perfectly human languages. I've never once heard a hollow, nor an arrancar, speak in the manner you just did." Aizen said. He was watching Tensa closely now, but Renji was honestly more concerned about the whole monster thing.

"That's because the ones who are sentient enough to speak don't remember it; hollows are creatures of instinct and feeling, so they communicate in the same way. Hollow-speak is primitive and only used in the rare instance body-language and normal hollow shit can't compensate... like when one needs to warn the others to flee... Arrancars and souls with hollow ties can still understand it when they hear it, but that's pretty damn useless when the people I need to warn are you assholes!" Tensa snarled. To flee... Hollows almost never ran from something, and they  _never_  looked out for each other. If something was dangerous enough to not only scare hollows, but Tensa...

"Maybe instead of asking me about some stupid dead language, you could actually pay attention to what I'm telling you and GET MOVING! I can get you to the World of the Living if you just let me grab my zanpakuto -" Renji snapped out of his spiraling thoughts to step between Tensa and his zanpakuto lying on the grass.

"You must really think we're stupid if you expect us to let you do  _that_." Renji snorted. "What makes you think you can get to the World of the Living when not even Mayuri can open anything?" For a moment Tensa looked an odd mix of enraged and despairing, but he seemed to resolve himself with strength.

"I don't think I can - I know I can. I can feel it, and don't pretend like you didn't hear everything stoic-petals and that lunatic Mayuri said about me. I can use portals that not even the gotei knows how to trace or replicate. I don't travel through this world when I hop between realms, I travel  _between_. That's the only way you're going to get to the World of the Living _before it's too late._  You can keep me restrained while I do it, you can escort me all the way there with the whole fuckin' gotei if you want! You can even take me back to the lab once it's done you just have to let me go there and stop them!" Tensa cried devolving into heaving coughs. The desperation in his voice made Renji want to hear him out, but Aizen just shook his head.

"I'm sorry Tensa, but our orders are to bring you back to Mayuri. You want to get that nasty sickness taken care of, don't you? Wouldn't that be nice, hmm?" Aizen soothingly hummed as he took another step towards Tensa.

" ** _I don't give a fuck about sickness when people are dying one world away!_** " Tensa snarled, voice hollowified. Aizen just sighed.

"It seems you cannot be convinced of the peace in the World of the Living... Renji, I think you'll be best equipped to carry Tensa while I handle his zanpakuto." Aizen said picking up Tensa's formidable weapon. Tensa immediately began to struggle at the separation of his zanpakuto, giving Renji further reason to hesitate.

"No no no nonononNONONONONONONO YOU CAN'T DO THI - DON'T TOUCH ME DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THEY'RE IN DANGER!" Tensa screamed ignoring the black blood dribbling down his chin the more he spat insults and pleas. Renji jumped back to avoid his struggling, cursing at Tensa's disturbing mobility. He turned to Aizen and leaned in to whisper harshly as Tensa devolved into more coughing and insults.

"Taichou, what if he is telling the truth? I can tell he believes everything he says, and didn't we get a distress call from Karakura? If he was trying to escape, he would be the one making demands in return for a portal - not the other way around. We can at least try a -" Aizen interrupted him with a firm look.

"No. I'm surprised at you Renji, I really would have thought you would see this situation for what it is. I have no doubt Tensa's fears and beliefs are real - to him. I cannot pretend to be unaware of what being held in Mayuri's lab is like, nor what it can do to such an unfortunate soul. Tensa was clearly sick before he was captured, but now he is sick in more ways than one... I believe the best thing for him now is to go back to the only one who can help dispel these delusions and find the cure for his illness." Aizen said. The gentle captain's disappointment hurt more than Renji had expected it to. He knew that he should just stop now and stay inside his place, but deep in his gut his instincts were telling him otherwise.

"I understand, taichou. But should we really run the risk that he is right and actual lives are on the line?" Renji asked. For a moment he thought he saw frustration flash in Aizen's eyes, but it was smothered with disappointment before he could really notice.

"Prepare Tensa for the journey back. That's an order." Aizen emphasized. Renji felt his heart sink. There was really nothing he could do now.

"...Yes, taichou." Renji said, moving back to a respectful space and bowing. He turned with a heavy feeling to address his newest captive.

"I really don't want to make this any harder tha - er, Tensa?" Renji stuttered to a stop as he realized he was talking to an empty spot.

"Where the hell did he go?!" Renji exclaimed as the two frantically searched the area. He found Tensa trying his best to stay quiet behind a tree where he had rolled away to while Renji and Aizen were talking.

"Did you actually think that would work?" Renji snorted. Tensa just sneered at him.

"Against someone stupid enough to take his eyes off of the captive? Hell yes." Tensa hissed.

"At least I'm not stupid enough to try and roll away, dumbass! What, were you just gonna roll your way back to freedom mister  _deathly ill_?" Renji mocked.

"Eat me, pineapple!" Tensa snapped.

" _Pineapple?!_  Why you -"

"Renji!" Aizen barked.

Renji immediately stopped trying to fight the sickly, downed prisoner. That didn't stop Tensa, however from trying as he hoisted him over his shoulder with one arm while he carried the special wrap and crossbow/restraint-launcher device in the other. It had been a struggle to position Tensa in a way that didn't leave him room to bite Renji in the stomach like he'd already succeeded in doing twice, but Renji didn't feel like having Tensa's legs in position to kick him in the face either. Despite Aizen's mutliple warnings for him to remain complacent, Tensa continued to struggle and bite and scream the entire way. It had gotten to the point where Renji couldn't even use shunpo for fear of losing him or getting his dick bit off. No shunpo meant that they had to navigate the forest on foot and endure Tensa's rather colorful insults and creative escape plans.

At this rate Renji was beginning to fear that they would never make it back to Mayuri's lab. They had to quite literally drag Tensa kicking and screaming through the forest bit by bit taking innumerable amounts of precious time just to force Tensa to get back over Renji's shoulder every single time he fell (which was practically every five minutes). By the time they were halfway through the forest, Renji was huffing and covered in bites and bruises. Aizen was only a little better since he only had to deal with Tensa whenever he fell. For the billionth time, Tensa managed to wriggle his way out of Renji's grip to come tumbling down. Renji groaned and nearly fell himself.

"Why don't we - huff - take a break here for a little - huff - while." Aizen suggested through puffing. Renji just nodded and collapsed. Once Aizen managed to catch his breath, he stood up with the help of a tree.

"I'm going to see if I can find some water, perhaps a creek. I'll be able to get ahead and see how far we have to go as well. I don't need to remind you to keep an eye on him." Aizen said. Renji nodded rubbing one of his bites.

"Yes taichou." Renji said. Aizen turned to leave, but hesitated.

"And Renji?" Renji looked up again.

"Don't listen to him."

"...Yes, taichou." Renji said reluctantly. With that they were alone, Tensa panting heavily as he continued to just lay where Renji had dropped him. Scooting closer, Renji prodded Tensa in the side with his foot. Tensa immediately flinched and pushed himself back with a hiss of pain.

"Come on, you can't just stay laying there. You're just gonna end up choking on your own blood." Renji said. Tensa lifted up his face to spit at Renji. Renji didn't bother to dignify the act with a verbal response. Just the bird would do.

"What the hell do you think I've been doing this whole trip?" Tensa gurgled. "I end up choking whether or not I'm sitting up, dumbass." Tensa muttered. Renji went to retort, but realized Tensa was right when he looked down at his robes.

"Ugh! This is just blood, right?!" Renji exclaimed. Tensa just shrugged as he coughed.

"Mostly. And don't break yourself trying to clean it, this shit isn't contagious." Tensa said. Renji stopped trying to get the stuff off of him reluctantly.

"I guess that's good... If this isn't something you catch, how the hell did you get it?" Renji asked. Tensa just pushed his face further into the grass, falling silent. Renji snorted and scooted closer.

"Hey, I asked you something! It's not like I'm gonna do anything with your answer anyways." Renji said irritably. Before he couldn't get the guy to shut up, but now he was just ignoring him. Tensa whipped his head up, enraged with Renji for some reason.

"Yeah no shit! You won't do anything with what I say! You won't even listen to me!" Tensa snarled. Now he got the mind to push himself up, taking great care not to get too close to Renji as he put his back against a tree to glare fiercely at him. Renji felt his gut twist a little. Shit, he did not want to think about this right now.

"How can I? You sound absolutely crazy!" Renji threw his arms out, accidentally making Tensa flinch at the gesture. Tensa continued to glare, jutting his chin out defiantly.

"Oh do I? Cause you seemed convinced enough to try and go against your captain." Tensa said. Renji shot him a dirty look.

"Aizen's not my captain. And I wasn't going against him, I just wanted to make sure that we didn't take risks we shouldn't." Renji said tersely.

"And yet here you are." Tensa said angrily. Renji's eyes flashed.

"Who the hell do you think you are to judge my decisions!" Renji snapped. "I've done all I could, and it's not like even that is easy! I can't just go against a captain! I don't have the rank to make those judgments and frankly I don't really want to! Aizen wants the World of the Living to be safe just as much as I do, but he has billions of things he has to take into account when making a decision!" Renji cried.

"Those aren't reasons, Renji. Those are excuses. If you really believe that something is right, you fight for it, captain's orders or not!" Tensa argued.

"Captain's orders are there for a reason! I'm not just obeying some guy, I'm following the law! I should know all about this - my captain is one of the best examples of a law-abiding citizen! Rules keep this world safe and peaceful, and as a shinigami I set an example for others! I have a responsibility!" Renji said. He was almost yelling now, but something about Tensa just made him want to punch something. Why the hell couldn't he just leave this alone?!

"What about your responsibility to protect people? What kind of example do you set then?  _What happens when the law is wrong?_ " Tensa asked. Renji was trying to answer, but every response he came up with just didn't sound right. He couldn't come up with an answer to that that would defend him, and that pissed him off even more.

"Wha - I, I mean you can't ... You're just trying to escape!" Renji snapped looking around for something to distract him. Dammit, Aizen was right to warn him.

"If I wanted to escape I would have by now. All I'd have to do is aim for somewhere a little more _fatal_  -" Tensa looked at Renji's neck pointedly. "- and I'd be gone by now, but that would mean I'd have to hide instead of fighting. Teaming up with you asshats is the best plan here." Tensa said. Renji just glared and turned away, clearly done talking with him.

For some reason Tensa just let it drop after that, huddling against the tree to wait for Aizen as he watched Renji. His stare was unwavering and also extremely uncomfortable given what they were just talking about, so Renji just huffed and looked away. He was certainly pissed at Tensa, but he'd be lying if he said that's all he was. His anger was fading, but all that meant was now he was calm enough to actually think about what Tensa said. His words brought up old and new doubts he'd been trying to ignore, but he knew that he couldn't just do that anymore. It wasn't right. Maybe he was just paranoid, a pessimist at heart, but he really did feel the same sense of urgency Tensa did. This whole situation just felt... wrong. And everyone else seemed to be feeling it too, everyone was on edge. I mean, gods above, Byakuya had actually felt the need to try and contact Rukia and he  _never_  did anything without legitimate reason to. The only captain that didn't seem to share these sentiments was Aizen, but that's just how Aizen was. He probably didn't want Renji to freak out and panic.

Renji rubbed his face and sighed. Dammit, Tensa really was right. He knew what he wanted to do, what he really believed. Now he just needed to figure out what he was going to do about it... Slight movement made Renji turn his head again to Tensa who was adjusting somewhat painfully against his tree. As always whenever Renji moved or looked at him, he stiffened and waited for a tense heartbeat before relaxing a little (if he could even be called relaxed). That didn't seem to sit well with Renji for some reason, the way he drew in on himself, like he thought Renji was going to do something to him. He really did look miserable, sitting with his knees drawn up to his chin, shaking every now again as he coughed weakly. He was covered in cuts and bruises from struggling and falling so many times, especially around the black strips digging into his thighs and arms. It didn't help that he was sitting like that. Why the hell was he sitting like that? Renji could see his legs trembling with the exertion of struggling against the restraints to keep his legs to his chest, ankles crossed right over his... Oh... Tensa was still completely naked.

Oh  _fuck_  Renji felt like an asshole now. No wonder Tensa was so angry at him... Renji couldn't imagine how humiliating and degrading it was to not even be allowed to cover himself as they dragged him back to Mayuri restrained like a fucking animal. Of course he would try and sit like that despite how much it hurt, he was desperately trying to cover himself and preserve the last shred of dignity he had! Renji immediately looked away from him, stomach twisting. He'd sat there this entire time watching Tensa struggle like an asshole.

"Why the hell do you look all freaked out?" Tensa asked, coughing. Renji looked around for something he could give to Tensa.

"Well, I just realized, er I - fuck!" Renji swore. He'd been carrying the wrap for the device he'd used on Ichigo this entire time. He untangled the cloth from the device and scooted closer to Tensa who immediately began trying to move away.

"Whoa there I'm not gonna hurt you, I just, I just realized that I could have given you this to, you know." Renji gestured at his own clothes. At first Tensa just looked suspicious, but when he really studied Renji's face he seemed to realize he wasn't trying to trick him. For a moment he just kind of sat there like he couldn't believe Renji was actually giving him this small bit of decency. It only made Renji's gut twist more that this basic level of kindness was so unexpected.

"Here - I'll wrap this around you like a toga." Renji said. Tensa cautiously scooted closer to let Renji wrap the cloth around him gingerly, taking care not to brush up against his skin since it was obvious Tensa didn't like to be touched.

"Er, I'm really not complaining and I am very grateful, but can you really tie a toga with my arms bound?" Tensa asked hesitantly after a little struggling. Renji went to make fun of him for the sudden politeness, but he realized Tensa was actually just trying not to piss him off. He was probably scared Renji was going to take the wrap away... like a punishment...

"Well, not exactly. I could always swaddle you." Renji said. Tensa snorted in amusement. Renji wasn't great at assurance, but he could do light-hearted just fine.

"Good idea, Renji."

Renji jumped at Aizen's voice, turning around to see him holding two canteens. Tensa's zanpakuto was slung over his shoulder using the same white bandages covering its hilt. The sight seemed to upset Tensa greatly, tugging subconsciously at his restraints.

"Ah, t-taichou, I didn't sense you." Renji said. Aizen walked over and handed one of the canteens to him, ignoring Tensa's wary glare.

"I'm not surprised, it looks like you're having quite the time trying to wrap up Tensa. I don't know why I didn't think to use the wrap to stop Tensa from struggling before. This should make him much more manageable." Aizen said. Renji looked at Tensa.

"Er, well that's not really what, um... I can't really get it to stay. Maybe we could use the bandages from his zanpakuto's hilt." Renji said. Aizen nodded and unwrapped some of its length to fix the wrap in place more like a burrito. Ironically they did end up swaddling Tensa.

"Well it took me a while to find some water for us, but at least I mostly know where we are. I need you to get Tensa ready and start walking while I scout ahead. I'll loop back to you once I'm done." Aizen said.

"Yes taichou. Er, maybe we should trade weapons now that the crossbow-thing doesn't have anything covering it." Renji said. He could understand just how upsetting it was to see someone else wearing your zanpakuto. It was a cruel reminder of how helpless Tensa was in this case.

"I'm not so sure it's best for Tensa to be so close to his weapon..." Aizen said.

"I don't think even using his mouth to grab it will allow him to use it, while on the other hand we have one of Mayuri's inventions." Renji said. Tensa rolled his eyes.

"What, are you scared I'm gonna shoot you in the dick with it or press something and blow us all up?" Tensa paused slightly after pointing that out. "Uh, actually you know what it would be really dangerous to have my zanpakuto with me so I'm fine if you keep the crossbow -"

"NO." Aizen and Renji said. The two switched as Tensa cursed under his breath. Once Aizen was gone, Renji picked up Tensa's blade only to nearly drop it.

"Shit! How the hell do you carry this thing?" Renji exclaimed. Tensa might have clear muscles on his body, but that didn't stop him from looking more malnourished than lean. Tensa smirked slightly.

"I'm a lot stronger than I look, but I do have to tell you Zangetsu's not normally that heavy. He's increasing his weight because he doesn't like you." Tensa said. Renji twisted the blade around curiously. He'd never seen any zanpakuto quite like this one before, nor one quite this large. Despite its size, their was something incredibly elegant and powerful about this blade that made it feel all the more deadly.

"Great, even your zanpakuto wants to kill me." Renji shook his head. "We should get going." Renji said slinging the large zanpakuto over his back with grunt. Tensa immediately began trying to back away from Renji.

"No. I already told you everything and  _I'm not going_  - NO!" Tensa yelled as Renji made a grab for him.

"Tensa - !"

"NO NO NO YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE YOU KNOW THIS IS WRO - STOPNODON'TTOUCHMESTOPITSTOPITSTOPIT!" Tensa continued to scream and thrash as best he could wrapped like he was. Renji struggled to get Tensa upright as he screamed all manner of profanity and threats at him.

"Dammit Tensa, I almost thought we'd come to an understanding! You can't keep doing this! OW!" Renji cried out as Tensa bit his shoulder. It didn't help that Zangetsu was pulling him down with even more force than before. Renji stumbled back and took up a kido stance.

"THAT'S IT!" Renji bellowed.

He was gonna tie this brat with so much bakudo he wouldn't be able to even move his fingers! He was ready to release the growing spell in his outstretched arms when something buzzed against his chest, startling him. Renji shot the spell by accident, missing by an inch or so. Fumbling around with his robes, Renji pulled out his vibrating denreishinki and flipped it open. He blanched when he saw that the id was Rukia's.

"Shut up Tensa, I'm getting a call from someone in Karakura!" Renji frantically cried. And thank the gods, Tensa did shut up. He scooted closer as the two listened intently.

"Renji!" Rukia's staticky voice came through the phone.

"Holy shit, Rukia! What the hell's going on down there?!" Renji exclaimed.

"I only ... one chance so I need ... make it count! ... down here!" Rukia's voice was cutting in and out randomly much to Renji's dismay.

"I can't hear you Rukia, you keep cutting out!" Renji said.

"I SAID we're un... attac... down here! ...need backup right now! I kno... you captured... th... in Mayuri's lab! He ca... open up a portal we can kee... open from this side!" Rukia said. Renji went pale. Karakura town was under attack?! Holy shit Tensa was actually right...

"What?! Who's attacking? Who are you talking about?" Renji asked.

"Weird ass cre... - ore of... monsters really! Poin... is you need to... out of Mayuri's lab! You know, th... - rrancar you captured! You can't tell... -ny of the captai... won't understand! We'll expl... later! I..." A long stretch of static cut Rukia out.

"Rukia? Rukia! RUKIA!" Renji shouted into the phone.

"...I...sh...k...ou..." He could only hear syllables now.

"Rukia, I can't hear you!" Renji cried.

"W... NEE... ELP!" With that the line went dead, leaving the two in shocked silence. Renji turned to Tensa now.

"They really are under attack..." Renji said.

"I told you  _over and over again_. You heard what she said! She was talking about me, and she says they can keep open one of my portals from their side - you need to let me out of these restraints!" Tensa said desperately.

"We - I, I - Dammit Tensa I don't know how!" Renji snapped.

"Just cut them with Zangetsu! It's not rocket science!" Tensa coughed.

"You're already sick and weak as it is, what if I accidentally hurt you? How do you even know that a zanpakuto can cut this stuff?" Renji exclaimed.

"I don't know!" Tensa snapped. "It's either that or Aizen comes back and we can ask  _him_  to remove these." Tensa reminded.

Renji cursed. They really didn't have the time for this. Quickly removing the wrap from Tensa just enough to get at the first restraint, Renji took Zangetsu off of his back. Maybe it was just the adrenaline strengthening him, but the zanpakuto felt much lighter this time around.

"Okay, just slide that in between my arm and my side and try to cut it." Tensa instructed. Doing so, Renji wedged Zangetsu right up to Tensa's armpit and tried to bring the blade up to cut the thick material. When all it did was stretch a little, Renji took Zangetsu out and placed the tip right on the strap, hesitating a little.

"Don't worry about cutting me, Zangetsu's only zealous to cut when he's cutting down enemies!" Tensa said impatiently. Ignoring that terrifying statement, Renji pushed down with all his might, but the blade could not pierce it.

"Dammit! This isn't working!" Renji grunted. Tensa swore and looked around nervously. Aizen was going to come looking for them soon.

"Okay, okay. Just put Zangetsu back where you had him between my arm, I have an idea. I need you to stand back." Tensa said. Renji did so, but he had a feeling he would not like this.

"I'm gonna release a rieatsu attack that should hopefully overload this thing, so once the first one is off we have to get the second one as soon as possible. Aizen will have heard the blast and will definitely know something is up." Tensa said.

"What?! Are you insane?! You're going to blow your head off!" Renji exclaimed, taking a step towards stopping the madman.

"Too late!" Tensa bellowed. A massive explosion of black and red reiatsu threw Renji back a good distance to smack into a tree. For a moment there was only silence as Renji sat there dazed, but he quickly snapped out of it. Picking himself up with a grunt, Renji ran through the dust and small bits of debris to find Tensa's huddled form.

"Tensa!" Renji cried. Tensa coughed to let him know he was alive. Feeling around Tensa's blood-slicked chest, Renji swore.

"It didn't work, the damn thing's still on there!" Renji said.

"Fuck..." Tensa gurgled. "Plan B... get Aizen to give you the crossbow and mash some buttons..."

"Wha - How do I - " Renji froze when he felt Aizen's reiatsu rise across the forest. He was coming. Tensa felt it too and immediately struggled to his feet, but his demeanor was completely different.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! I TOLD YOU I'M NOT GOING BACK!" Tensa screamed, eyes wild and angry. Renji stumbled back as he felt Tensa's own reiatsu rise.

"What the hell?! I thought -" Tensa interrupted Renji with a shriek.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO USE MY ZANPAKUTO?! YOU STUPID SHINIGAMI, YOU NEVER SHOULD HAVE TAKEN YOUR EYES OFF OF ME!" Tensa screamed. Renji just looked at him like he was insane, but then realization hit him like a semi truck.

"YOU'RE FUCKING INSANE - WHO THE HELL BLOWS THEMSELVES UP?!" Renji screamed at the top of his lungs, drawing Zabimaru with one arm. Tensa just laughed psychotically and dropped his reiatsu like a hammer everywhere but Renji somehow. Taking the opportunity, Renji flashed close to where he sensed Aizen.

"AIZEN! Taichou, I need the crossbow!" Renji cried. His acting might not be as good (or terrifying) as Tensa's, but it was at least enough to get Aizen rushing to his side.

"What happened?!" Aizen demanded. Renji coughed and pointed back at the clearing.

"He - he fucking blew himself up with his zanpakuto! You were right - he's INSANE!" Renji exclaimed. "I can't stop him from escaping, but if you can keep him in the clearing, I, I think I can use the crossbow to put more restraints on him!"

"Yes I heard - that's fine, just take it -" Aizen threw the crossbow into Renji's arms and flashed away. Not wasting any time, Renji was hot on his heels with the crossbow.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Tensa screamed at Aizen.

Luckily the dust hadn't quite settled yet, so Aizen couldn't see just how wounded Tensa was or the zanpakuto still wedged in his restraints. Frantically turning the crossbow around, Renji looked for buttons other than the one he had used to capture Tensa. Seeing Aizen drawing his sword, Renji panicked and pressed them all. A variety of projectiles shot out of the bow, but Renji didn't get to see any of them as something flew into his side and he was thrust into oppressive darkness.

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

"OHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCK!"

"Stop struggling!" Ichigo bellowed. Renji was dangerously close to slipping off of his back into the abyss that was the in-between. He hadn't been here since he thought everything was just nightmares and hallucinations and it was more than a little jarring. At least here none of his injuries bled or worsened. Time held no dominion over him here.

"Just try and relax, Renji, I won't let you fall!" Ichigo assured.

There was nothing to hold them up but Ichigo, and he barely understood how that worked anyways. All he knew was that normal souls could not survive the in-between and its all-consuming hunger. The first time he came here it had been a miracle that the void didn't just swallow him whole and erase his existence. But if Renji let go... Unfortunately this was the first time Renji had ever been here, so he wasn't used to the horrible feeling of nothingness tugging at his soul, so he was reacting pretty much the way you would expect any rational person to. Unlike Ichigo's first time, Renji promptly threw up.

"Ugh, gross... Are you alright Renji?" Tensa asked in concern. He wouldn't have brought Renji here unless he absolutely had to.

"Renji?" Ichigo asked. Renji was just watching silently as the vomit he'd just thrown up increasingly disappeared before it could completely fall.

"...Where ...the hell are we...?" He asked faintly. Gods above he did not look well.

"I already told you Renji, I travel between this world and this -" Ichigo gestured at the empty black surrounding them. "- is the in-between. The only thing stopping you from getting swallowed by all this nothing like your vomit is me, so do me a favor and hold on tight." Renji wrapped his arms around Ichigo's neck like he was getting the most terrifying piggyback ride of his life. Which he was.

"I have enough reiatsu to protect the both of us, but I'm starting to think being here is slowly killing you so we're gonna leave real quick." Ichigo said. Drawing Zangetsu, Ichigo closed his eyes and felt for his spirit.

_**Wha - Ichgo! You stupid fucker I felt you trying to use me back there but I couldn't stay awake 'cause, 'cause your, your inner world was fre... freaking... out... and... and...** _

_**...Whoa...**_ Shiro breathed.

_Yeah. I've never really traveled with you here while you were awake..._

**_What is 'here?'_ **

_I call it the in-between, but you remember that one weird scientist we learned about from Commander Ahmya? They said he named it something like Muken or Moko before he was killed in the Second Genocide._

**_Void... A good name whatever it was. How come you never told me or I even heard about this place? You'd think those assholes at San Teikoku would have taught you about this shit!_ **

_They were afraid to give me any information in case the Gottlich ever found a way to take it from me. Besides, Adalgar made sure I almost never found about anything he thought was too sordid..._

**_Fucking freak... You really should have let me kill him..._ **

_Come on, we need to get out of here. I'm starting to get worried about Renji._

**_How the hell do we do that? You know Ossan was way better at opening paths than me!_ **

_Relax, I've done this without you plenty of times._

**_It seems we're finding out more and more about what you've done without us plenty of times._ **

Ichigo ignored the bitterness in Shiro's voice. He knew he still had to explain to Shiro why he made him sleep so much, why he'd never told him about his 'life' in this world, why he had to hide his memories... Ichigo shook himself a little. He needed to concentrate. If he worked hard enough, he could feel his way back to home, back to the World of the Living and back to reality. Usually he used his mother's soul as an anchor, but he refused to this time. Instead, he focused on finding one of the souls he had really imprinted on when he had died and first hollowfied. Despite protesting about it every time, Shiro always let him remember his time as a hollow whenever he ended up in the backseat.

And he had remembered Yuzu. A great deal of his memories as a hollow were all still blurry and a little vague, but he remembered Yuzu nearly getting torn to shreds vividly. He only hoped now that she was was safe with her parents... He remembered dropping her off at the house and immediately becoming scared at the level of power both her parents had, so hopefully that meant they were fullbringers or something of the sort, really any living soul strong enough to stop the Nejireta.

 ** _I thought those guys were your family, 'specially from the way you were following them an' focusing on the kid._** Shiro interrupted.

_No, Shiro. Were you paying any attention at the time?_

**_Kind of hard to pay attention when I'm fighting you, your memories, and your sickness all at the same time dumbass! It was the most I could do to keep you hollowfied! And it's not like you've actually told us about your family or did you forget THAT BIG FUCKING LIE!_ **

_We are so not doing this right now, not when Nejireta are attacking Karakura town! So shut up and let me focus already!_

Lucky for Ichigo, he'd still been trying to pinpoint Yuzu while he was arguing with Shiro, so he managed to get a connection before Shiro could scream at him anymore. Grabbing hold in his mind, Ichigo focused on the memories he had of the World of the Living and Yuzu. That was the only way this worked, if he had been to the place he was trying to go and could remember specific things and locations. Souls were the strongest, so he almost always went for people. Immediately he began to feel the sense of emptiness fading around him, signaling that he was ready. Drawing Zangetsu with one hand, Ichigo took a breath and cut into the inky abyss. The moment the rift opened he leaped through it into the blinding light. He heard Renji cry out over his shoulder, but it was too late to stop now.

 _ **Shit that's bright!**_  Shiro screeched.

Ichigo didn't bother to respond as he immediately went into attack mode, muscles tense and ready to spring as he looked all around him for some sign of danger. Luckily they had landed in a fairly sheltered area, what looked like some parking lot near where Yuzu lived. He didn't sense any souls around this area besides a few humans seemingly unharmed, and he certainly didn't feel any Nejireta close by. Not that you could even sense half of those abominations. But if there were Nejireta around, you would notice. And yet things seemed fairly peaceful around... No one was screaming, there were no hordes of people fleeing from unseen terrors, and no frantic battles were going on. Needless to say this was far more terrifying than any scene of chaos Ichigo had expected. In his experience, this just meant that something far worse had yet to rear its ugly head.

**_Uh, you do know you're still bleeding, right shithead?_ **

_No I'm n - Fuck._

Ichigo shrugged Renji off of him to try and staunch the flow of blood from his side with a thump.

"OW! What th' hell didja do tha' fer?" Renji slurred, groaning groggily on the ground.

"Just give me a minute." Ichigo gritted through bloody teeth as he knelt. He still had the wrap and all of Zangetsu's hilt-bandages, so at least there was something to work with.

**_How many times do I have to tell you to actually pay attention to your injuries?! I can't just heal you all the time! I get you have screwed up pain tolerance, but how do you just not notice?!_ **

_Piss off, traveling through the in-between always leaves me a little numb. Why do you think Renji's acting like a drunkard?_

"Ohhhshit I 'af ta tell Ruki we'r - HUUUURRRGH!" Renji heaved onto the pavement mid-sentence.

**_...Okay. Point taken. Just hurry up, people are bound to notice you're here. And aren't you going to close up that rift into hell?_ **

_Not hell, totally different place and you should know -_

**_Heheh, that was a pretty wild ride..._ **

_\- And I still have to leave it open so that shinigami can travel through to send backup. I know you'd think it's a bad idea, but I need to find this 'Rukia' and the people who can keep this thing open without me being here. And hopefully make it so no one ends up like Renji every time they go through._

"Uggghhh..." Renji groaned. Tying up the dressing on his wound, Ichigo stood up with a grunt and began dragging Renji to lean against a building.

"Man, you're really out of it." Ichigo coughed turning Renji's head back and forth. His eyes were a little glazed over, but it was the disorientation that was bothering him the most. Renji just glared at him and snorted.

"Oh yeeeeah an' you lo-look s' gud too, all niked an' shit... an's blood - you ssstupid!" Renji jabbed a wavering finger at Ichigo. Seeing that he was indeed still 'niked', Ichigo quickly tied the wrap back around him and turned back to Renji.

"Well you're obviously in no shape to be of any physical help, so I need you to call this 'Rukia' of yours and get her to come here and help." Ichigo said slowly. Renji squinted at him and sneered.

"I'm fckn' looopy n' all numbbb, s'not stupid, dum asshole..." Renji muttered semi-coherently as he took out a phone. Flipping it open, he took a long look at the numbers before finally pressing one with a slow and unsteady finger. Ichigo tapped his bare foot impatiently as he looked around. The numbness of being in the in-between was finally starting to wear off and he was acutely aware of just how much his side ached as he began to cradle his wound.

"Frickkkk, s'typed th' wrong one..." Renji said starting over. Ichigo tugged at his hair trying not to scream.

"Oh for f - Don't you have any contacts on there?!" Ichigo snapped. Renji blinked.

"Oh yeah..." Renji said quietly. Ichigo smacked his head and began to pace despite his body's protesting. Shit, he was sore all over.

"Eyyyy 's Rukia! You shud reaaallly come 'ere an' help us out... " Renji said with a slight hiccup. For a moment he looked like he was going to be sick again, but he held onto the phone stubbornly until it passed.

"Nah, 'm fine, jus can't feel my legggs - Oh! I threw 'p twice!" Renji exclaimed. Listening a little more to the phone, Renji lolled his head to look at Ichigo.

"She says na t' turn the phone off s' she cannn, uh, ya know, find us an' shit. An' so ssshe knows we're not ... uh, Nejeeratir, Neji, Nejami, Ne - those things!" Renji stumbled irritably. Ichigo nodded quickly, rubbing his face with shaking hands.

"Okay, okay. I'll tell them how to kill the Nejireta and that you're sick and then I'll just leave -" Ichigo broke off into a bout of coughing, thumping his chest painfully to try and loosen himself up. Renji shook his head emphatically.

"No! Yer still reaaaal sick, ya stupid, frickn' kid - Hey!" Renji cried holding the phone up again. "He's real sick n' he's gon' try an' run away! He - 'kia? Rukia?" Ichigo looked around and sniffed the air, eyes half-lidded as he cast out his senses. He knew they were on their way, and he knew that they would be hiding their reiatsu just like them, but he'd learned long ago how to sense what didn't want to be found without the reliance of reiatsu.

"They're on their way, so stop that already!" Ichigo snapped. Renji blinked and stopped shouting into the phone.

"Rude..." He muttered. Ichigo took in another deep breath, closing his eyes.

"What're you doinggg?" Renji slurred.

"Trying to find them..." Ichigo murmured. Renji leaned towards him.

"Wha, by smellin' them?" Renji snorted. Ichigo sighed and opened his eyes.

" _Yes._  I'm not like you Renji, I have the senses of a hollow too you know. I'm pretty shit at sensing people's reiatsu without soul ribbons, but that just means that my other senses work better. I can rely on smell, hearing, but most often, instinct. I can feel them getting closer in my gut, the presence of other souls warning me." Ichigo said tensely. He could feel them coming, raising the hairs on the back of his neck at this newest potential threat.

"Jeez, ya act like they wanna 'urt you, or somethin'..." Renji said. Ichigo clenched his fists.

"And who the hell doesn't?! Everyone wants to hurt someone, they just need a reason to do it." Ichigo said resignedly.

And it didn't even matter the reason, you were still hurting people. All he wanted to do was to protect others, but that meant hurting and killing those who threatened that. There was no such thing as heroes, just glorified murderers with some justified excuse. Like him. A shiver ran down Ichigo's spine, interrupting his thoughts. They were finally here...

A petite woman with raven hair flashed into sight, blade drawn and ready for a fight. Close behind were three adults, two of which were Yuzu and Karin's parents decked out in shinigami and quincy garb, respectively. Ichigo was surprised to see that the third adult was the same man he'd seen in the park with Yuzu and Karin, but it was nothing compared to the shock he got when he saw three of his classmates also show up. Orihime, Chad, and Uryu all froze when they saw him with varying expressions, though the common theme was that of horror. Ichigo immediately wanted to run, to hide himself at the very least. But he had to stay until he knew that the rift wouldn't close.

"Renji!" The woman cried out when she saw the two. Ichigo guessed this woman was Rukia, the one who had called them.

"Eyyy 'Kia, sstill can't feel mah legggss..." Renji slurred with a lazy wave from where he was slumped. Rukia turned to Ichigo, eyes hard and dangerous.

"What the hell did you do to him?!" She demanded. Ichigo threw up a hand, careful not to gesture with the other holding Zangetsu.

"I didn't do anything, this is just what happens when you travel through one of my rifts! H-he's just not used to it, he'll be fine with a little, a little rest..." Ichigo said, eyes darting around anxiously. Shit shit shit, he did not want to be here. There were way too many people, and they were all looking at him - he hated the way they were looking at him, fuck, just stop he wished they would just stop.

" _Rukia_." The man from the park said sternly, placing a hand on Rukia's shoulder. He turned to Ichigo, but Ichigo couldn't meet his eyes. He was too busy trying not to run, to stop focusing on how everyone was _looking at him_. Shit he was panicking and he knew it. He needed to get out of here, he could feel himself spiraling.

"It's okay, Ichigo. None of us are angry with you, and we're not going to hurt you. We know what's been happening with you, or at least a good deal of it, and we're going to make sure that you never have to go back to Mayuri's lab or any lab for that matter. But first we need to see about getting this portal of yours stabilized. Can you let us through to get working on that?" He said in a gentle tone. Ichigo looked where the man's eyes were lingering and realized he had brought up Zangetsu already. Forcing himself to put his blade back down, Ichigo nodded and moved away stiffly. Renji looked at Ichigo and the others in confusion.

"Who th' hell are you talkin' to? Wha's goin' on Tensa?" Renji asked. The man looked at Renji curiously as he pulled out what appeared to be several closed umbrellas.

"Tensa?" He questioned. "I'm afraid Renji that Ichigo has been less than truthful with you about his name, but for someone in Ichigo's position it's more than understandable. You see, Ichigo -"

" _STOP._ " Ichigo interrupted through clenched teeth, eyes closed. "Just hurry up with the portal so I can get to cleaning out this town of Nejireta." He gritted out.

"Nejireta? The twisted ones? I'm assuming you're referring to the creatures that were set loose on Karakura town, though how you know them is quite intriguing, but they've already been taken care of by us. Lucky for us, we still have the corpse of the one you killed as a hollow. From a little bit of experimenting I found that fire seemed to be the best way of dealing with them, specifically combustibles. That's what these are for -" The man held up the umbrellas. "- to set up a perimeter."

"What? You've already figured out how to kill them?" Ichigo shook his head in disbelief. " And you've already killed them all?! But, I - are you sure? Absolutely sure?!"

"Calm down Ichigo, yes we made sure. I must say it was more than a little difficult figuring out how to track them, especially considering a certain accident," Rukia looked down awkwardly. "but nothing is impossible. For some reason they've since stopped appearing." He said. Ichigo felt a chill run down his spine.

"That means they were just scouts... You can't track the wardogs..." Ichigo looked up at them suddenly. "Someone had to have done this on purpose, scouts don't invade of their own volition and they certainly don't just stick around to cause a little chaos, they at least try and feed. Has anyone been killed, or injured or infected?" Ichigo asked quickly.

"All reports show that everyone is fine, surprisingly. We were able to spread around enough weapons quickly enough to prevent anyone from getting seriously harmed. It was honestly more of a miracle, but we did have some warning." Rukia said. The man inspecting Ichigo's rift threw the umbrellas to her.

"Set up these with the others around this lot." He turned to Ichigo. "I must say that I'm a little impressed you figured it out so quickly considering how long it took us, but I'm starting to get the feeling you have a lot more experience... Either way, we already know who's doing this and why. It seems  _you_ , Ichigo, are in popular demand." He said. Ichigo took a step back. No, no... not again...

"That's why you're going to be staying with all of us, so we can protect you." The kind-looking quincy woman spoke up. She took a step forward with the other shinigami, her husband. Ichigo started and took another step back. Ichigo frantically looked to where the man was setting up strange equipment that seemed to be opening the rift further. He could feel whatever he was doing was changing it. If he really wanted, he could leave now...

"It's okay Ichigo, we just want to help you. You already know us as Yuzu and Karin's parents, but I'm Masaki and this is Isshin. We know that you saved Yuzu in the forest that day as a hollow, no one else could have. Do you remember that?" Masaki asked. Flashes of Yuzu and her sister made Ichigo stop backing away as much. He nodded slightly.

"...I do. Other things are kind of blurry, but I remember trying to help her." Ichigo said slowly. Masaki smiled warmly at him.

"So then you really were the rogue hollow, and the very same that saved our little girl. Thank you Ichigo." She said gratefully. Ichigo just shifted awkwardly, extremely flustered at being actually thanked. Shouldn't they be screaming about how close their daughter had gotten to a ruthless hollow?

 ** _Oh come on!_**  Shiro snorted.  _ **Ruthless? Sure, maybe when there's enemies, but your just a big, fuzzy orange softy any other time.**_

"Um... You really shouldn't be thanking me though - not to be rude! I'm just happy Yuzu's okay..." He said weakly. Masaki shared a look with Isshin before turning back to Ichigo.

"We know that you're a good boy Ichigo, and we really want to help you. The best way we can do that is by having you stay with all of us. We can get you the help you need and keep you safe. I know that might be hard for you, but we know now just what you were going through. You're not alone. I met and talked with your mother -"

"My mother?" Ichigo interrupted. He backed into the wall with a jolt of realization. Oh god, no wonder they were acting so damn gentle around him. He could only imagine what horrible things Lena had said about him, and that wasn't considering all the horrible shit they thought about him before! No no no no no, they were going to take him to her... oh god... oh god...

There was only one thing he could do.

"FUCK!" Ichigo promptly screamed as he ran.

"Ichigo!" Masaki cried.

He could still hear them all calling his name as he fled past buildings, legs pumping and heart racing. Shit, shit, shit shit shit shit shit this was not good he needed to get away right no - Ichigo dropped just in time to avoid the kido spell flying over his head. Shiro was screaming at him to stop running, but he barely heard him through the haze of adrenaline and panic driving him through the streets. Not halfway down the street something flashed in front of him to block him from leaving.

"Gotcha!" Someone cried as two kido spells were simultaneously fired at him.

He managed to dodge the first (presumably Rukia's), but the second was fired in the only direction he could go. He expected for one terrifying moment to find straps wrapping around his body for the second time that day, but instead the energy just seemed to soak into him. Stunned, but not one to waste time thinking about it, Ichigo continued to run and dodge. Who he now saw to be a dark-skinned woman with yellow eyes tried to catch him, but even sick he was deadly quick. Just barely escaping her grasp, Ichigo tried to flash away, but something went wrong. Right when he tried to move, it felt like everything froze up inside him. His legs felt like lead the more he tried to run, everything becoming sluggish and blurry at an alarming rate. Ichigo stumbled on feet he could no longer control to come tumbling down onto the ground with a cry. Shiro was still screaming, but his voice was getting further and further away.

With the slow realization that he was being paralyzed and knocked out with kido, Ichigo desperately tried to get away, but strong hands enclosed around him to lift him up. He tried to struggle and hit Isshin, but the most he could do was to scream threats at him. His words slurred pathetically as darkness and lethargy came to claim his battered body yet again.

"Please, Ichigo, it's okay! You don't have to fight anymore, you're okay, you're safe..." Isshin pleaded. Ichigo couldn't move his limbs anymore, so there was nothing to stop Isshin from holding him tight to his chest, gently resting Ichigo's head in the crook of his neck. That made Ichigo's mind stutter for a moment, but the old fear that came from the simple offense of being touched rose up and he tried to scream. All that came out was a panicked gurgle.

"Oh Isshin, I think he's going..." Masaki said. Ichigo couldn't see where she was anymore. Everything was blurring together, the world slowly getting darker.

"Oh god, I can feel all his ribs Masaki..." Isshin whispered. Their voices were quickly fading from his senses, kind words and promises of safety tempting him with this comforting sleep. He wanted so bad to rebel, because these promises were lies. They were all lies, no one would help him once they knew the whole truth, he was a freak, an... an abomination... they... wouldn't... want... som...one... li... h...

"It... oka... safe...yo... safe... safe..."

...Safe...

...

..

.

* * *

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\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mom allowed me to have this fanfiction account on the one condition that I give her all my usernames and passwords so she can check up on me (despite only my little sister being a dumb thot and accidentally signing up for a dating site) but hasn't done anything. Until now. She's going on her honeymoon with my stepfather and plans to read this fic since she'll have the time. I knew that this day would come. It was only a matter of time.  
> I actually have a specific font/language I'm making for hollowspeak, I just have yet to actually put it in, so that creepy glitch font will serve as a placeholder. Hollowspeak is just something I thought would make sense for Ichigo to have since he's such a unique hybrid, and there are other reasons for it that you'll see later.  
> Holy shit, Ichigo finally gets a break after 13 chapters. It's certainly not smooth sailing from here on out, but he's taken a big leap towards getting better now that the Karakura gang has him and the OG family is around. I actually thought it would only be around 8 to 10 chapters for me to get to writing the comfort side of hurt/comfort, but sheesh did things not go as planned. I really need to spend more time planning...  
> I will upload the pictures for this chapter tomorrow as I wasn't able to upload them on time. From there I hope to get back on my normal update schedule.  
> As always, thank you for all the feedback and feel free to let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 14: Wound Up, Wind Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my defense the last part just didn't fit with the next chapter, and I don't think anyone would complain over having too much fanfiction.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Thoughts/Speech_

_**Shiro (Zangetsu)** _

**The Old Man/Ossan (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 14: Wound Up, Wind Down**

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

_A slight rustle to the left. Wait... Silence. False alarm? A small snap made Ichigo jump, but he didn't shriek this time._

_He had learned after several nights of waking up in this horrible nightmare that it was better to be silent. It was better to stay as quiet as possible and be ignored by all those scary monsters and people than stand out in any way. That's what his mommy had told him when he'd tried to tell her about those mean kids picking on him at the park. She'd just yelled at him for being such a crybaby, saying that if he didn't want to be hit than he shouldn't go to the park. But what about when school came around? Ichigo had been both eagerly anticipating and dreading the start of first grade ever since his mommy had decided that he had to go to Karakura elementary at least. He absolutely loved the idea of doing nothing but reading, drawing, and playing with his friends while also being away from his mommy almost all day, but then he began to realize that the same kids who picked on him at the park would be at school. He didn't have any friends either, but he desperately hoped that would change before school. He was four years old right now, and he would start first grade when he was six, so that gave him... two years? That should be good. How hard was it to make friends?_

_A louder snap made Ichigo jump again, gripping his sword tightly. He held his breath despite the musky closet air that always threatened to make him sneeze as he waited tensely. He could only see a small sliver of the outside room from where he was hiding, but Ichigo was a good listener. He often hid from his mommy under the kitchen sink like this when he was scared, so he'd gotten used to having to listen very carefully when she was trying to find him. If only it was his mommy trying to find him now..._

_Slight movement much closer to Ichigo made his heart stop. Someone was in here, he knew it! Ichigo wanted to run, or to hide himself further in the closet, but he couldn't - he was completely frozen. He barely noticed as tears slipped down his face of their own accord. He was petrified, terrified that any moment those people would be back for him. He could see them now, their angry eyes and horrible smiles as they ripped open the closet to reveal him cowering in fear. They would drag him out screaming and laugh as they beat him again and bound him with rope. They were looking for him, he knew it..._

_"Aha!"_

_Ichigo barely stopped himself from screaming. Whoever had said that was inside the room now. Ichigo clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle his breathing as he waited for the person to hopefully leave. But he had no such luck as the person moved further into the room, floorboards creaking with each step. They seemed to stop upon reaching the closet, but Ichigo could see that the figure was turned away from him._

_"Well well, look at what we have here..." He said. Ichigo saw him rummaging through something and realized he must be looking at the pile of clothes Ichigo had found. He'd originally been looking for something to clean up his vomit (going through that weird black place made him an absolute mess), but the pile of bloody robes made him even sicker._

_"Hmm... These'll do jus' fine!" He said with a giggle. Something about that laugh made Ichigo's hair stand on end. Slight shuffling indicated that the man was probably putting on the filthy robes before he seemingly left, all while giggling and chattering to himself._

_Waiting a few heartbeats just to make sure he was really gone, Ichigo tentatively scooted closer to the door. He didn't see or hear anything... Slowly opening the door, holding it tight right at the hinges just like he'd learned to do to stop doors from squeaking, Ichigo peeked his head out of the closet. The room was indeed empty, so Ichigo took a shuddering breath and carefully exited the closet. Ichigo wiped his face face with shaking hands and sniffled, on the verge of crying again despite all danger having passed._

_What was he going to do now? He knew those people were looking for him, and he couldn't just stay in this town. He'd thought this place would be empty when he first ran here from where he'd woken up, but then he saw something moving around. I mean, this place was practically a ghost town, all broken down rotting shambles and scorched debris... it looked kinda like the pictures of Hiroshima he'd seen. Could anybody have ever lived here? The disturbing amount of bones seemed to say yes... But even if there weren't people here looking around for food or clothes like him, something about this place just felt_ wrong _. It was a feeling in his gut that told him he shouldn't be here, but what choice did he have? Maybe that man would help him... or maybe he would be completely insane like everyone else Ichigo had met so far. That seemed pretty likely..._

 _Ichigo ran his trembling hands over his face. If this was a nightmare, why did it have to feel so real? Why was he too scared to try and wake himself normally? Surely he wouldn't_  really _die if he tried to wake himself up by going to the danger... right? Again, his gut told him not to. But what good had all those feelings done him? When he tried to help his mommy, she just got worse. When he tried to help the other kids at the park, they beat him up. When he thought that little girl needed help, she smiled at him and watched as those horrible people dragged him away... That's why he was in this mess now. He just needed to wake up, and pinching himself and holding his breath obviously weren't enough. This place wasn't real, all he needed to do was just die here so that the nightmare would end!_

_Screwing up his courage further, Ichigo squashed down the nagging feelings plaguing him and wiped his face once more. He wouldn't back down and take this like a stupid crybaby, he would brave. Ichigo strode out of the ramshackle hut as confidently as he could muster in search of that man, or perhaps the people looking for him. But looking around the barren town, Ichigo couldn't find him. Hadn't he just been right here not a moment ago? Where was he? Ichigo looked around again, but he knew the longer he stalled the faster his resolve would fade. He swallowed and balled his fists._

_"HEY!" Ichigo shouted, squeaking when his voice came out so loud against the stark quiet of this town. For some reason it felt like Ichigo had done something wrong just by breaking the silence. But listening to his cry echo hollowly with no consequence, Ichigo tried again._

_"H-HEY! Is anyone out there? I, I just saw you!" Ichigo shouted. Silence. Deciding the man was just too far up ahead to hear him, Ichigo began stepping over debris further into town._

_"I know you're there! Can you please just come out?" Ichigo called as he went along looking into the empty huts. Stumbling over animal bones (that's just what he told himself) and struggling to navigate the ruined huts all the while, Ichigo began to get desperate._

_"Oh come on! I'm not gonna hurt you!" Ichigo pleaded. Looking around at this eery town, exhausted and stressed from traipsing around everywhere, Ichigo began to cry again._ He just wanted to go home _._

_Shaking and plopping right down where he stood, Ichigo didn't bother to dry his tears. He continued to sit there and cry until his hopeless sobbing eventually ran itself dry. Sniffling and feeling sorry for himself, Ichigo miserably looked around for somewhere to hide until he did wake up. The most intact hut so far was the one he'd just left, so Ichigo began to retrace his steps. Halfway back to his hiding place, Ichigo began to hear something. At first he didn't notice it over his own sounds as he'd given up on being silent, but the closer he got the more he began to notice. It was a weird sort of scraping, crunching sound, kind of like the construction crew digging up gravel, but also not. More than a little curious, Ichigo began to veer off his path in search of the source. It sounded like it was coming from just beyond this next house, so Ichigo began to slow a little._

_He could hear it much better now, but he had no idea what it was. It sounded kind of wet and... well it was just confusing. Deciding to go through the remains of the house instead of around, Ichigo climbed up broken boards into what looked like the main area of the house. The roof was completely gone, and there were significant parts missing from most places in the house, so Ichigo could sort of see something moving up ahead. Treading slowly and silently on instinct, Ichigo crouched behind a torn out wall, just peaking over it to try and get a better look. Something about the same size as the other man was moving around with its back to him hunched over something. To Ichigo's horror, the person appeared to be seriously wounded. They were covered in blood and scratches, and he saw dark patches everywhere. Squinting, Ichigo struggled to see the person better, but they were too far away, and the outside wall was blocking him._

_Slowly inching his way to the outside wall, Ichigo peeked over the top cautiously and paled. He now saw that the blood covering the figure was not their own, but the same man he'd almost met beneath them staring at Ichigo with blank eyes as his body jerked and shifted unnaturally. The crunching and slurping noises ceased for a moment as the figure adjusted itself just enough for Ichigo to see it's disgusting work. Gagging, Ichigo had to turn away immediately and cover his mouth. Trembling violently, Ichigo slowly raised his head back up to peek at the creature. He could see the front now as the creature shuffled around the corpse as if trying to find a better angle. From all appearances, it looked like the rotting body of a woman long dead. The dark patches were actually discolored flesh so dark it looked black. Her robes were torn all over to reveal plenty of places where the strange dark rot was overtaking her body, but what made it impossible for him to look away was her "face."_

_Both eyes had rotted away completely into dark pits and half of her face was twisted over to meld part of her mouth together. Pearly white maggots and worms slithered around her flesh and out of her permanently open mouth to get their own taste of the man. Turning to Ichigo, the woman suddenly tilted her head up to look directly at him. Ichigo froze, heart stopping. She couldn't see him, Right? There was no way - ! The woman's jaw opened slightly more as a worm the size of Ichigo's arm slowly slithered halfway out. It had a mouth like a parasite, and Ichigo felt a thrill of terror as it opened it to squeal at him._

_Screaming, Ichigo leaped to his feet and ran as fast as he could away from the scene. Strange laughter right behind him made him scream again as he tripped over bones and debris, yet again fleeing for his life. Scraped legs pumped harder and harder, but this creature was faster than him, and he could feel it catching up to him._

_"Ichigooooo!" She screamed. Ichigo looked back with a jolt to see her closing in, but this time she looked different._

_"Ichigo, Ichigo! Ichigo Ichigo ICHIGO!" She screeched. Ichigo sobbed as he recognized his mommy's voice, but he refused to turn back._

_"NONONONONONONONONO" He panted as tried to go faster, but it felt like he was going slower. He was running through molasses in an endless expanse of bones and leveled houses as his mommy began to catch up._

_"IcHiGOOOOooOOOoOOO!" She warbled. Ichigo cried out and looked down to see that his feet were still moving, but he wasn't going anywhere. Looking back behind him, Ichigo screamed. His mommy was right there, lanky black hair bouncing as she shuffled towards him. She was no longer wearing robes, but her favorite dress torn to shreds to reveal her twisted body._

_"MOMMY!" Ichigo screamed as she bore down on him._

_Now instead of smoke and cat pee, she smelled like rotting flesh as she opened her mouth wide to let the parasite rear itself in Ichigo's face. Ichigo tried to fight her, but his limbs had stopped responding. Ichigo whipped his head back and forth as the worm zeroed in on his open mouth. Ichigo tried to close it, but he found that he just couldn't breathe. The sudden desperate thought that maybe Ichigo could drown the worm entered Ichigo's mind and he threw his head back deeper into the water surrounding them._

_He tried to see if it had worked through the water, but the water had gotten too dark. He was sinking faster than he could swim, bubbles escaping his mouth as the currents swept him away. He couldn't see the bridge, but he knew it was there as he passed beneath it. There were people up there watching him as he passed by, but he couldn't focus on them as he struggled in this dead cold water. Oh god, why had he done this? The rocks in his pockets and stomach made him feel a million times heavier. He tried to vomit up the rocks so he could swim away, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to get himself to heave. Desperation and hopelessness hit him like a wave as the currents tossed him around. He fervently tried to swim, but his long limbs had no muscle to help him. Lena had always said what a useless string bean he was, but he couldn't help what his teenage body chose to be._

_Ichigo prayed to whatever gods would listen for this to just end, but all the water did was bubble and roil with his struggling. Chin against the sink, Ichigo sputtered as his head was yanked out of the water. He gasped and coughed violently, water burning his nose and lungs. The hand gripping him by his hair ripped his head away from the sink to look up at Trost's grinning face. Ichigo immediately began struggling, but Adalphine and Knochenmus were pinning him upright against the sink, shrieking in laughter as Trost plunged Ichigo's head back into the sink. Ichigo screamed around the water suffocating him, but he knew it wouldn't matter. Water sloshed around his shoulders as his struggling began to empty the sink, but the faucet was turned on before Ichigo could get any relief. Jerking and choking, Ichigo felt his burning lungs threatening to give up, but he refused to let unconsciousness take him. They would just wake him up again._

_Just when the darkness edging Ichigo's vision threatened to take him for good, he was lifted from the sink gasping and choking. He was promptly slapped as soon as his eyes began to roll back back into awareness. Vomiting water, Ichigo looked around the convenience store bathroom to try and find an escape, but his mop and bucket were still by the door, the harsh reminder of the responsibility he still held._

_"Ohhhh, Daimo's sure to be angry when he sees you slacking off..." A husky voice whispered in his ear. Ichigo's body was wracked with sobs as he heard that all too familiar voice. Trost wrenched Ichigo's head to the side to see Ebner watching him with dark eyes._

_"I guess that means we'll have to be quiet about our fun, now won't we_ **pet** _?" She whispered._

 _Ichigo's mind was sent reeling in abject terror at that one simple word, but the scream threatening to tear out of him stayed trapped in his throat at the sight of Ebner's stern smile. She was poised to punish him, to utter one command she knew he'd struggle to fight because_ he was a bad boy _. The others echoed their agreements with promises of "fun" yet to come... Ichigo jerked when he felt Ebner's hand snaking down his side, but the three quincies holding him just cackled. Ichigo's stomach trembled when he felt her hand brush against his skin under his shirt, caressing his lower abdomen. Ichigo was keenly aware of how tight Adalphine and Knochenmus were gripping his inner thighs, eager for their turn. Ebner pressed her hand against the flat of his stomach just enough to let him feel her ragged nails pricking his skin and he nearly whimpered like the pathetic dog he was. She slowly began to slide her hand further and further down his stomach until the tips of her fingers were just under his waistband. Ichigo had stopped breathing as he stared just above Ebner's chest, but below her face, the only place he was allowed to look. Ichigo struggled to swallow the urge to vomit, but as she slid her fingers further down against his skin his stomach began to roll and he couldn't help but to gag and heave._

_Blood and water spilled from him as they howled in laughter in that dark bathroom. Ebner's hand was all the way down his pants now gripping him as hard as the invisible hand in his stomach trying to rip out his insides. They were raking their nails down his whole body now as Ichigo screamed and struggled against the horrible pain. It no longer felt like Ebner was groping him so much as squeezing him so tight it felt like his entire lower abdomen was being crushed. Now there were knives in his stomach shooting lancing pain up and down his body. Just when he thought he was dying, the bathroom finally went from dark to pitch black. Sluggish purple liquid sloshed in the darkness surrounding Ichigo, but he knew it wasn't there to take the pain, just to make him settle. Choking on it, Ichigo stubbornly tried to fight it despite the agony he was in, but whatever it was was strong. Thank the gods at least the voices were being kind to him... Even if it was all lies... he wasn't going to be alright...nothing was alright...nothing ... was... alr...ig...h...t..._

-x-

**Kisuke Urahara**

"-right... Everything's going to be alright..." Kisuke murmured as he finished injecting the sedative.

Watching the poor boy begin to settle, Kisuke thanked every possible god that existed that Ichigo had finally stopped screaming. Sighing heavily, Kisuke put the syringe back down on his operating table and began to move Ichigo's head back into place on the table, stroking his ratty hair all the while. He knew Ichigo probably couldn't feel it through all the pain at this point, but he would give the boy the one small comfort he had to offer right now. The rest would come later once he got him back on his feet, properly healed. It was looking more and more like that would take months to do at this rate, but Kisuke refused to give up. The disease raging in Ichigo's body was fighting his natural healing abilities at a rate that was bound to win sooner than later if Kisuke didn't find a viable cure or treatment at the very least.

For now he had managed to stabilize Ichigo with a medication he'd had a very bad reaction to pain-wise, but stability was all he really needed. For the millionth time he cursed Mayuri for his wonderfully encrypted and hidden records. If he could just find what Mayuri had thus far discovered, he would be more than on his way to helping Ichigo. He already knew all the symptoms and issues, but the cause was still an absolute mystery. He had no idea if it was hereditary, an environmental reaction, a disease he had caught... If he knew what was causing the horrific issues with Ichigo's lungs, he could devise a treatment almost immediately. A knock on his lab door interrupted Kisuke's thoughts.

"I have the results." Tessai called through the door. Kisuke rubbed his face and opened the door, undoing all the hidden locks (they couldn't chance Ichigo escaping).

"Ah, thank you Tessai... Can you please tell everyone that Ichigo is stable for now?" Kisuke said. Tessai nodded and handed Kisuke his papers.

"Of course. I suppose it's pointless to ask if you have any idea how to stop it?" Tessai asked. Kisuke sighed.

"Unfortunately... I can't do anything more until the newest treatment is ready, so I'll be running the non-invasive tests while he's still stable." Kisuke said. Tessai nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll make sure Ururu and Jinta know to prepare the processor for any x-rays." Tessai said. Kisuke gave a wan smile. Tessai always made sure his lab was running smoothly, bless his friend.

"Thank you, Tessai. I think I'll be another couple of hours before I can take a break." Kisuke said. Kisuke hadn't been able to take a break for all of the first day once Ichigo had become critical, but he didn't dare stop now.

"I see. Remember that you can't take care of Ichigo if you're passed out on the floor..." Tessai reminded. Kisuke smirked.

"Isn't that what I have you and Yoruichi for?" Kisuke asked. Tessai shook his head in amusement and left with simple wish of good luck. Closing and relocking the door, Kisuke turned back to Ichigo.

He'd been forced to strap him down not long after he'd brought him to the lab so bad was the pain he was in. At least these straps were designed to be far more comfortable and secure than the brutish restraints Mayuri used, so the only wounds Ichigo had were old ones that were slow to heal. Adjusting the special medical garb he had dressed Ichigo in, Kisuke paused when he felt the small click in Ichigo's hips. Kisuke frowned. He'd felt it before when moving Ichigo around, but now that he could actually focus on it, he decided an x-ray of Ichigo's pelvis would be first on the list. Maybe after that he could actually take a look at Ichigo's scars, or just at his body in general...

Kisuke flicked another monitor on and wheeled over one of his portable machines to Ichigo's side. Grabbing a chart, Kisuke sighed when he saw all the tests that he hadn't performed. He did need to focus specifically on Ichigo's lungs, but the boy clearly had other issues. Kisuke knew badly healed breaks and malnourishment when he saw it. At this point he was pretty sure a doctor's check up would have examined more than him.

"Alright Ichigo, let's take a look at that pelvis..." Kisuke said pulling the machine closer. But as soon as he got the machine close enough, one of his monitors began to go wild.

Rushing over to check, Kisuke blanched when he saw the screen tracking Ichigo's reiatsu freaking out. Kisuke was immediately hit with a wave of powerful pressure that only seemed to increase. Kisuke scrambled to get another seal for Ichigo, but he wasn't fast enough. A burst of black and red reiatsu blew Ichigo's restraints off of his body, shattering the x-ray above him. Kisuke promptly activated the emergency seals on this room before preparing to confront Ichigo. A distinctively hollow screech of rage made Kisuke go for Benihime on instinct.

" ** _Back the hell off before_ _I BLOW THIS SHITHOLE TO HELL!_** " Ichigo screamed turning back to Kisuke. He could immediately tell something was off, from the words Ichigo used to his body language. His eyes and voice were clearly that of a hollow, but this definitely wasn't Ichigo just throwing around his hollow powers.

"You must be Ichigo's hollow... Nice to finally meet you." Kisuke said slowly. "Ichigo" just hissed at him.

"So do you by chance have a name - just so I don't have to keep calling you 'hollow.'" Kisuke said. If he could just calm him down enough to get close...

" ** _Like hell I'd just tell you my name! Ask King your own damn self! For now you and the rest of those asshats can just call me Shiro._** " Shiro said. He couldn't help but notice how protective Shiro was of Ichigo, and even stranger how he referred to him. "King." A clear sign of respect and superiority.

"Okay Shiro, my name i -" Kisuke was stopped from moving mid-sentence.

" ** _I don't give a shit about who you are! Stay the hell away from King before your friends find_ you _dissected on a table!_** " Shiro roared, raising his reiatsu. Kisuke gritted his teeth against the powerful reiatsu bearing down on the room. He could feel Shiro's rage and hate, but oddly enough it wasn't the normal hollow violence. This felt more like his anger wasn't just for his sake, but that he was angry  _for_  Ichigo. It made sense though, what with him most likely being aware of what was happening to Ichigo in Mayuri's lab.

"Okay, okay... That's fair enough, but you have to know that I'm healing Ichigo." Kisuke said immediately backing up and setting Benihime down on the table as a clear sign of peace. Shiro's eyes flicked from the blade back to Kisuke, but he didn't seem to relax. Shiro sneered at him.

" ** _Of course I know that! Did you honestly think these stupid restraints could actually hold me? The only reason I haven't ripped your disgusting throat out by now is because unlike that other bastard you actually seem to know what you're doing! I've only been letting you near Ichigo so long as you heal him - nothing else!_** " Shiro hissed.

"So that's what this is about? You don't want me testing on Ichigo beyond what heals him? You can't actually expect me to heal him without even being able to look at his whole body Shiro." Kisuke said.

" _ **You seem to have been doing that just fine so far! Gotta keep your toys alive if you wanna play with them!**_ " Shiro snarled.

"Ichigo is not my plaything and never will be. I am nothing like Mayuri, I'm not keeping Ichigo healthy just because I'm interested in finding what makes him tick. I am a doctor and Ichigo is my patient. Everything I do is to try and heal him. I understand your anger, what Mayuri did was despicable and will be paid for in due time. But right now all you're doing is hurting Ichigo. You have to let me help him." Kisuke said firmly. At least Shiro seemed to be listening to him now, watching him with calculating eyes as if to judge the sincerity of his words.

" _ **I still don't believe you. You may be healing Ichigo unlike that other bastard, but you**_ **do** _ **want to know what makes Ichigo tick - I can see it in your eyes. You may be playing doctor now, but you can't just pretend you aren't still a filthy scientist.**_ " Shiro said darkly. Kisuke would be lying if he said Shiro's words were false, but he was wrong in one aspect. Yes, Kisuke did very much want to know everything about Ichigo, but he wasn't willing to pay the price for that information. All knowledge came at a price, terrible, awful prices as irreversible as the horrific things you learned. Unlike Mayuri, he would not torture an innocent 15-year old  _child_  to get that information.

"Well then if I do stop 'playing doctor' I'd say whatever punishment you doll out is earned." Kisuke said curtly. "But we can't just sit around here arguing all day, we have to come to some sort of agreement. You and I both know Ichigo's body can't handle much more." Shiro rolled his eyes.

" ** _He can handle things just fine when I'm in control healing him with hollow high-speed regeneration._** " Shiro said. Then he blinked and seemed to pause for a moment before looking back at Kisuke with a chilling grin.

" ** _...But if you wanna make a deal, that's fine. How's about this: you continue to heal Ichigo only doing what's necessary, and I don't redecorate the lab with your innards, as well as helping you heal Ichigo._** " Shiro said coyly. This felt less like a deal and more like hostage demands...

"And how would you help me heal Ichigo?" Kisuke asked. He knew he was doing exactly what Shiro wanted, but he didn't have much choice. Besides, perhaps this was the best way of getting Shiro to trust him enough to look at Ichigo's body in full...

" ** _Oh, you know, high-speed generation is pretty useful... I was thinkin' you and I could take turns - you work on Ichigo for a while and when his body inevitably starts to break down, I'll take over and hollowfy him so he can heal. Kind of like a full reset, flushing out anything that doesn't work and keeping anything that does. I bet he'd heal a lot faster with us workin' in tandem like that..._** " Shiro said in a playful voice. Kisuke had to give it to the hollow, he was clever. It was while not ideal, a good plan that was incredibly tempting. This would also allow him to see Ichigo's hollow powers and get a better feel for his soul...

"And what keeps you from breaking the deal when you're pumped full of drugs in a mindless hollow rage? I can't help Ichigo if I'm dead." Kisuke said with one eyebrow raised.

" _ **That's debatable... But it wouldn't necessarily be**_ **me** _ **you would be dealing with. I would just bring Ichigo back to the same state he was in when he first died, minus memory repression. That means he'll recognize everyone and respond to his own name, but he will still be a basic hollow relying on instinct rather than human awareness. You'd kinda have to see him like this to get what I mean...**_ " Shiro said with a shrug. Kisuke chose to ignore the first part.

"And what's to stop Ichigo from doing the same of you?" Kisuke asked. Sure, Ichigo seemed like an exceptional and kindhearted young man from everything he'd done so far, but hollows were not the same as people. Shiro snorted.

" ** _Oh come on, Ichigo's basically just an anxious, pent-up puffball when he relies on his instincts - and that's the other thing. My instincts are to shred this world apart in a bloody massacre feeding on the innocent, but Ichigo's are just the same ones he has normally, just stronger. His boring-ass bread and butter is protecting people, so if you're just nice to him and leave him alone he won't do much but hiss. He's all bark and no bite unless you do something to piss him off. In short, I'll attack and he'll hide._** " Shiro said. Well, that was a better option... If what he said was true, perhaps Kisuke could instill some trust in Ichigo on a far more subconscious level. It was obvious he was scared of people, so maybe this would help.

"I will have to keep Ichigo locked in the lab, but I suppose this is the best outcome. Know that someone will eventually have to asses Ichigo's body in full if you want to heal him completely." Kisuke said with a false smile.

Shiro returned his own, more disturbing version. They met eyes and in that moment shared a mutual understanding of the real deal they had just struck. They both were doing this to heal Ichigo, but both had side agendas the other was well aware of. Shiro wanted Ichigo to be able to escape and Kisuke wanted to be able to better study him through this deal. It was a strange sort of meeting of cunning individuals, and Kisuke couldn't help but feel a smug sort of satisfaction at the thrill of a challenger. They'd just have to see who won out.

" _ **Deal.**_ " Shiro said, offering a hand for Kisuke to shake. Kisuke didn't bother to look at the hand as he continued to smile.

"I don't think I can trust you that much." Kisuke said. Shiro's eyes narrowed as his feral grin grew, retracting his hand.

" ** _You really are a smart man..._** "

-x-

**Ichigo ?.?.?**

Ichigo shrieked as he came to another dead end. Frantically looking around the surprisingly large shop, Ichigo quickly backtracked and went down a hallway he hadn't tried yet. He could hear the sound of his captors rushing to corner him behind him led by that man Ichigo had woken up to see, the one the others called "Kisuke." The name seemed right, but something about the man reminded Ichigo of something else, a set of words that tickled his brain, something that popped up every time he saw the man in his hat and clogs. But he hadn't the time nor care to dwell on that as he had promptly broken his restraints and escaped.

"Ichigo! We've already covered all the exits, so you might as well just give up now!" The one called Rukia hollered. She had such a loud voice for such a small soul, but that didn't make her words any more understandable to him. It was all just gibberish.

"He can't understand you idiot - he's a hollow right now!" Renji called back. Ichigo panted heavily as he rounded yet another hallway he couldn't go down. Maybe if he could just find some place to hide for a while...

"Oh I'M the idiot?! YOU'RE the one who didn't do the new restraints right!" Rukia retorted. Ichigo began scrabbling at doors as he went along, trying to find one he could get into.

"How was I supposed to know that kido wouldn't work?! Yoruichi had used it and it worked just fine!" Renji spluttered. Ichigo nearly cried out when he almost fell into one of the side rooms. Chest heaving, Ichigo thought quickly and left the room to run up ahead leaving claw marks as he went. Reaching the corner, he purposely ran into it to make a dent, tearing off a piece of his medical garb and sticking it in the wood.

"Yeah well Yoruichi's not here now, so find that pumpkin-bastard before he kills everyone!" Rukia yelled, closer this time. Panicking, Ichigo left the fake trail to flash back to the open room, frantically shutting the door as quickly and quietly as he could.

"Ichigo would never kill anyone Rukia! Be nice when you find him, he's just scared!" A familiar voice called out. Orihime... Ichigo remembered her this time, but the memories from on the roof were bitter-sweet. She and the gentle man-boy Chad had nearly convinced him to return to them with their kind words and comforting aura, but then the terrifying midget and her blindingly white clad companion started firing arrows and attacks at him.

"That's not Ichigo right now Orihime, that's a ruthless killer on the loose!" Ruki said. Ichigo felt his heart pound as he heard her voice from just down the hall. They were coming.

"Hey, it's not like it's Ichigo's fault..." Renji said. They were jogging down the hall now, getting closer and closer to his door.

"Yes, it is the unfortunate lot of his birth that he is such a threat. But the only way to nullify it is by properly controlling him." Uryu coolly stated one door away. Ichigo couldn't breathe.

"Wha - that's not what I said at all! Ichigo's only a threat if we make him one!" Renji said. They were right outside his door now. Ichigo was suddenly terrified that they could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest. Creaking floorboards set his wild orange main standing on end as they passed one by one.

"I understand that you want to be understanding, but we can't just let such a massive threat roam around free!" Rukia said. One down...

"I agree with Rukia on this; the best way to help Ichigo and keep everyone else safe is by making sure he can control himself. Until then, others need to take that role." Uryu said. Ichigo hesitated to count him as passed since this one was so perceptive, but it didn't look like he was aware that Ichigo was there. Two down...

"Well I don't agree! Yes, Ichigo may be scary like this, but he won't always be a hollow!" Orihime insisted. Three down...

"I'm on this with Orihime, though I wonder if Ichigo's being a hollow is really so bad, or just his fear..." Chad rumbled. Something about his voice seemed very soothing, companionable, but Ichigo would not go to him. Four down...

"Ah jeez, why can't we just leave this to Kisuke?" Renji pleaded. Five down... They had all passed him without incident. He could hear their voices fading down the hallway as they left.

"You're going to have to figure this out for yourself too at some point. Ichigo is the first ever hybrid between all four races, so we're dealing with one of the most powerful beings you'll ever meet. But he is still human, and he has family... so we can't just do what I would have said to do before I found out about the Gottlich and everything... Besides, I don't think anyone would even be  _able_  to execute him." Uryu said.

"Uryu!" Orihime gasped.

"I said that's what I  _would_  have done  _before!_  Now I understand that Ichigo isn't an abomination, he just has special needs and requires corporate supervision. Controlling him is the best way to keep this world safe without hurting him..." Uryu's voice was lost as the group followed after Ichigo's fake trail.

Ichigo waited several heartbeats in silence, not quite believing they were finally gone until his hackles began to settle. Dropping from the crouch he was in to his knees, Ichigo heaved a sigh of relief. He was still badly shaking as he began to rub his arms, cold from the lack of shirt. He was oddly glad for the strange shorts he was wearing, but he was still very cold and sick. Maybe there was something warm in this room, or a nice corner to hide in for a while? Ichigo turned to go look and immediately froze. Two sets of wide eyes met his black and gold ones from where two girls were sitting. They stared at in each other in silence for a moment, both parties unsure of what to do. Finally Karin tried to break the silence.

"HE'S H- mmf!" Karin mumbled through the hand Yuzu clamped over her mouth. Ichigo flinched at the movement, drawing himself up slightly against the door.

"If you scream you're just gonna make him panic and run!" Yuzu hissed. Ichigo began to rumble low in his throat, attempting to be threatening but sounding more pathetic as it turned into a keen.

"See, he's just scared." Yuzu whispered. Karin slapped Yuzu's hand off of her mouth, causing Ichigo to flinch and growl again.

"Which makes him more dangerous! Yuzu he could literally tear us to shreds - what are you doing!" Karin whisper-yelled as Yuzu began to slowly reach her hand out towards Ichigo.

"I'm trying to show him we don't want to hurt him! Just like how he showed me back when he saved me..." Yuzu said. Karin forced Yuzu's hand back, to her sister's protesting. Ichigo hissed and jumped. Karin glanced at him, before glaring at her twin.

"Yeah and you couldn't see him back then so of course you weren't afraid! You wanna know what he really looks like?! He's got black and gold eyes, massive claws and teeth, a BIG-ASS hole in his friggin' chest, and a freaky mask with -" Yuzu interrupted her sister, snatching her arm back.

"Black stripes! I know! I can't see him clearly, but I can see him better than before! I know he looks like a monster, but is our  _cousin_  really a monster? No! So if you're just going to sit there like, like a big BABY! - then I'll be the one to help him ALONE!" Yuzu whisper-yelled. Karin just looked at her for a moment, but the meaning of her look was lost on Ichigo. He was too busy cowering from Yuzu as she tried again, hand outstretched and visibly upset. Yuzu started though when she found Karin stretching her hand out as well. She looked at her twin in question.

"What? I can't just put all this on you, so if you wanna try and pet the murder-beast and calm him down then I'm right behind you. Just don't say I didn't warn you when he eats both our arms." Karin quickly added. Yuzu rolled her eyes. Ichigo just stared at the two in confusion.

"It's okay Ichigo, no one's gonna hurt you..." Yuzu murmured encouragingly. Karin shuffled forward a little and Ichigo hissed, shrinking further back.

"Hey, I think the two of us are scaring him. Maybe just try with me, he remembers me anyways." Yuzu said. Karin opened her mouth like she was going to make more gibberish, but instead she just made an air sound and shuffled back. Ichigo cocked his head slightly, but he did not relax.

"Hey Ichigo, you remember me right? You helped me in the forest, helped me when I was scared? I wanna help you too..." Yuzu said soothingly, holding her hand out to Ichigo. He just looked at her hand, shaking and growling low in his throat. He didn't flinch when she moved closer, but he made it clear he wasn't happy. He didn't want them anywhere near him, but she wasn't giving him much reason to run either...

"It's okay Ichigo..." Yuzu murmured, surprising him by crouching down low.

Ichigo's hackles began to lower bit by bit as she continued to murmur soothingly to him... She looked so small like that, so weak. Just like she had been at the forest with that  _faceless fear_ , damn it's soul for attacking her. Eyes glued on her outstretched hand, Ichigo himself began to lower a little. He did want to go to her, the one little girl who hadn't been scared of him when he was just trying to help, especially when here she was offering him the same comfort he had given her. Ichigo and Yuzu were at about the same level now, Ichigo's towering form making him still taller than her. Yuzu was slowly inching towards him, but Ichigo had decided that was far enough and gave a small warning growl. Yuzu stopped and just left her hand reaching for him, waiting patiently as she continued to encourage him. Ichigo had his eyes locked on her, focused entirely for any signs of danger in the little human, but she continued to just smile at him and wait.

Slowly, hesitantly, Ichigo began to reach his own hand out, debating whether or not he should really be doing this. As his hand inched closer though, Yuzu remained still and calm. An inch from touching, Ichigo hesitated before darting his hand out to poke Yuzu's and scuttling back. Initially surprised, Yuzu just made an amused face and continued to hold her hand out. Seeing that Yuzu was not upset or angry, Ichigo came scuttling right back, a little bolder this time. Reaching out his clawed hand, Ichigo slowly and oh so gently touched Yuzu, looking at her as if to say  _this is okay, right?_  Yuzu gave him a big smile in response and just let him slide his hand over hers. When she still didn't prove anything other than peaceful, Ichigo paused and let her reach out her other hand.

"See? I'm not gonna hurt you." Yuzu said quietly.

Ichigo jerked his head back when she reached for his mask, but he tentatively moved his head back. His mask was sensitive despite how tough it was, so he was a little reluctant to let Yuzu touch it. Tilting his head slightly, Ichigo pointedly watched Yuzu's hand as she reached up for the side of his face. It was an odd feeling as she touched his mask, sort of a ghost sensation of warmth where he knew he should feel. But he didn't mind it at all as the two sat there, Yuzu stroking the side of his mask and hair. He watched her face light up as she felt his soft orange hair and leaned forward to nuzzle her, a clear indication he didn't mind. Yuzu giggled and ran her hands through his thick spiky mane.

"What the fu-" Karin stopped when Yuzu glared at her. Karin rolled her eyes. "What the  _hell._ "

"I told you Ichigo was just scared... Holy crap he feels so soft, you gotta touch his hair!" Yuzu said.

Ichigo rumbled low in his chest, a friendly sound as he pulled Yuzu into a hug. He was still a little wary of the other one, but this little human was nothing but squishy and adorable. She was still fragile, so he made sure to be extra gentle as he checked her over, chirping when he came to her forehead. He could smell the ghost of the old injury here, but he could also feel a little bit of reiatsu. Ichigo opened his mouth in preparation, but Karin immediately stiffened as if about to intervene.

"Relax Karin, he's just gonna lick my forehead!" Yuzu said, giggling when she felt Ichigo's tongue swipe over her skin. Ichigo paused for a moment, tasting the foreign reiatsu he recognized to be from the creature. Satisfied that no more reiatsu remained, Ichigo picked her up and began looking at the rest of her.

"Hey!" Karin exclaimed. Ichigo regarded her with a cocked head, almost forgetting the other little human was here. Was she hurt? She seemed kind of crabby. Ichigo put Yuzu down and leaned forward to smell Karin who immediately moved back.

"Come on Karin, he's just saying hello!" Yuzu said. Karin rolled her eyes and moved back. Ichigo rumbled, pleased, and gingerly took one arm with a sniff. Karin tried to pull back, but it was too late. Ichigo thought he'd smelled an injury! He pulled up her sleeve as she began to protest and huffed when he saw the large scrape on her elbow.

"Stop it Ichigo! I'm fine, I just tripped." Karin huffed, but Ichigo paid no mind as he ran his tongue over the scrape. Karin yanked her arm back in surprise, turning it over and watching in shock as the injury began to close.

"Whoah..." She whispered.

Ichigo patted her head with one large clawed hand and crouched down, intent on inspecting the rest of her. This time Karin didn't struggle as much when Ichigo pulled her close to sniff her over, occasionally nuzzling her soothingly. Yuzu came over and began to pet Ichigo again, causing him to relax a little. Satisfied and done healing Karin, Ichigo pulled the two in close to cuddle the two happily. He certainly hadn't expected to find Yuzu or her sister again, much less get such a nice cuddle with them. They smelled so good too, kind of familiar, like how a child carries their parent or sibling's scent. These two smelled a little like him, so he decided they would be  _his_  little humans whether or not Karin liked it.

"Feel his hair Karin, it's so soft!" Yuzu whispered.

Begrudgingly, Karin ran a hand through Ichigo's orange locks. Apparently she too liked his mane because she continued to stroke and pet his head with Yuzu as the two rested on his lap. Closing his eyes contentedly, Ichigo just sat there and tried to savor the moment of comfort and kindness. His body felt so old and tired, tired tired tired. He was so used to constantly fighting and running and hurting and oh how it was  _exhausting_. Now that he actually had a chance to relax, he found that it was harder to force himself to keep going without fear and anxiety fueling him. Now he was melting into the little humans, letting his bear-hug support himself and them as they petted him. He could feel just how sick and wounded he was, but rest and comfort gave its own sort of healing too.

"Karin, is he? Purring?" Yuzu whisper-laughed.

Ichigo was indeed purring, a low contented sort of rumbling much louder than any cat's. Even to his own ears it sounded kind of broken and harsh, like how hoarse and strange your voice would sound after not speaking for years. It caught in his throat often and still had a hollow tinge to it, but it was a clear sign of how happy he was, and Ichigo was too blissed out anyways to notice. Nearly asleep, Ichigo barely noticed when the two stiffened suddenly and their hands stopped petting him. Chirping in concern, Ichigo opened his eyes and heard the creak behind him.

Whirling around, Ichigo felt his heart stop. Standing in the door was Kisuke and Isshin watching him in a combination of expressions. Isshin mostly looked confused and horrified though as his eyes traveled from Ichigo's fierce mask to his claws. Kisuke just watched him with a curious expression, that same intelligent and calculating look burned into Ichigo's mind from _them_... Hair puffing up in distress, Ichigo took up a defensive stance in front of the girls, growling in a clear  _stay away from them_. Isshin immediately became aggressive and moved forward, but Kisuke quickly stopped him as Ichigo hissed.

"You're only scaring him more, he's not going to hurt th -" Kisuke's frantic warning was cut off as several more people burst into the room.

"Karin, Yuzu!" Masaki gasped. Sensing her focus, Ichigo immediately howled at the group and herded the girls closer behind him.

"You will  _not_  hurt them!" Rukia cried unsheathing her zanpakuto with a flourish. Ichigo gave a fierce warning cry, drowning out Kisuke's and the girl's protesting as everyone who had a weapon was drawing one. Twisting this way and that trying to assess each threat yelling at him, Ichigo panicked when he felt Yuzu slip from his grip. He tried to pull her back as she ran out front, but she was too fast for him.

"STOP!" Yuzu screamed, throwing her hands out in front of Ichigo and the group.

"Yuzu, come to -" Isshin attempted.

"NO!" Yuzu bellowed. Terrified that she was in the line of fire, Ichigo tried to reach for her, but Yuzu caught and held his hand making the group freeze.

"It's okay Ichigo, they're not going to hurt me! It's okay, you don't have to be scared..." Yuzu said soothingly. Ichigo whined anxiously, pleading to her with his eyes to just _let him grab her and make her safe_. Turning to the group, Yuzu held out a hand.

"You have to stop, you're scaring him!" She said. Isshin blanched.

" _He's_  scared?!" Isshin exclaimed. Ichigo hissed at his words tugging on Yuzu's hand.

" _Yes_ , Isshin. Ichigo is absolutely terrified and can you really blame him? How would you feel if you woke up in an unfamiliar place in horrible pain, attacked and cornered by beings all seemingly bent on killing you? I have been _trying_  to tell you that he's not going to attack or hurt anyone unless  _you_  scare him into doing just that. He's scared, hurt, and confused. And you were with me when you saw how he was treating the girls - look what he's doing now." Kisuke said gesturing to Ichigo holding Yuzu with one hand and keeping Karin behind him with the other. Uryu lowered his bow.

"He's just protecting them... He thinks  _we're_  the threat here." Uryu said. Yuzu nodded emphatically.

" _Finally,_  yes! This was how he was when he saved me. Karin and I were able to calm him down just fine, but you have to put your weapons away." Yuzu pleaded. Uryu dismissed his bow and Chad and Orihime immediately put away their powers, but Rukia and Masaki hesitated.

"Unless you want me stuck behind him all day, just top being morons and just do it already!" Karin cried out from behind Ichigo. Ichigo grunted and just kept the iron grip he had on her.  _This_  human would behave and stay behind him where it was  _safe._

"Kisuke?" Masaki asked.

"Yes. You weren't here to see it, but until everyone showed up Ichigo was nothing but gentle. They were able to pet him safely, and I'm pretty sure he was even purring..." Kisuke said. Karin popped her head out from behind Ichigo, much to his dismay.

"Yeah! It was whack, but you know, good whack." She said. Masaki looked from her girls to Ichigo, locking eyes with him. He could remember that Masaki was their mother, but he was loathe to let them go as he stood shaking and growling. He tried to convey that with his gaze, but he found the same fierce attentiveness in her eyes. A flash of understanding passed between them at that equal desire, as well as something else. Masaki seemingly came to a decision then as she looked at him, dispelling her bow. Ichigo blinked, surprised.

"Put your blade away Rukia." Masaki said firmly. Rukia snapped her head to Masaki.

"What?! But he -" She broke off when she saw the dangerous look she was getting. Reluctantly, Rukia sheathed her blade. Unsure now that the weapons were gone, Ichigo grumbled unhappily in his throat. Yuzu patted his hand reassuringly.

"It's okay, see? None of them want to hurt us." Yuzu said. Ichigo was still unconvinced, heart racing as he waited for the peace to snap at any moment. Karin put a hand on his side, making him flinch slightly.

"I think maybe everybody but Kisuke, mom, and dad should leave... Ichigo gets more upset the more people there are." Karin said, patting his side soothingly. Ichigo squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, a quick promise of safety. _Don't be scared_.

"Is that really such a good idea?" Renji asked, eyeing Ichigo's teeth. Seeing the attention, Ichigo snapped his teeth at him.  _Stay away_.

"All you're doing right now is antagonizing him. And besides, you'll all be just outside in case we somehow can't protect ourselves." Masaki said. She hadn't stopped watching Ichigo this entire time, but Ichigo didn't seem to know how to feel about that. He knew that he was standing in between a mother and her children...

"Don't worry about us. I'm confident we can handle this. Are you?" Kisuke asked, sliding his eyes over everyone. To his great surprise, Ichigo watched as the group except for Kisuke and the parents slowly began to file out of the room, shooting Ichigo wary looks. He in turn growled menacingly to each. Once they were gone, Yuzu turned and patted Ichigo's hand again.

"See, they're gone now Ichigo, it's just us." Yuzu said. Ichigo just grunted uncertainly, taking a subconscious step back. Yuzu frowned, seemingly disappointed, though for what Ichigo didn't know. He just wanted to keep her safe.

"Why don't you tell us how you calmed Ichigo down when you found him?" Kisuke asked sensing the roadblock.

"Well, I just made sure to be real quiet and still at first. Then I crouched down low and put my hand out to him, just like he had done to me when I was scared. From there I just had to be patient and eventually he came to me and let me touch him." Yuzu said. Kisuke nodded.

"That was very brave of you. Why don't we start with the second part? Hollows are very dominant creatures, so if we act submissive and friendly, he'll be less likely to see us as a threat." Kisuke said.

"Okay..." Isshin said. They all slowly lowered themselves into a crouch, surprising Ichigo. A peace offering? A trick? Unsure, Ichigo decided to remain a defensive neutral.

"Well, that seems better." Kisuke whispered. "Yuzu, do you think you could pull away from him and come to us? I think it would help to show him that we're not going to hurt you." Kisuke said.

"Okay... I think I can do that." Yuzu said. Turning to him, Yuzu tried to remove her hand. Rumbling disapprovingly, Ichigo tried to hold on.

" _Ichigo_." Yuzu said warningly. Ichigo gave a low growl. He didn't want to let go. Sighing, Yuzu put his hand to her chest right over her heart and looked into his eyes. Ichigo knew what she wanted, but that's not what  _he_  wanted, so he turned away.

"No, Ichigo look at me." Yuzu said. Ichigo glanced at her and immediately knew he couldn't look away anymore. She patted his hand on her heart and repeated the gesture pointing at Isshin and Masaki. "They won't hurt me, just like you won't. They're my parents Ichigo, and they're your family too."

Masaki reached her hand slowly out for Yuzu and Yuzu tried to go to her, tugging on Ichigo's hand. He didn't want to let her go, but he couldn't go with her either, so Ichigo reluctantly released her hand. He watched tensely as Masaki and Isshin pulled Yuzu into a tight hug, kissing her all over making Yuzu giggle. The sound took a weight off of Ichigo's shoulders he didn't know he'd been bearing and he released a shaky breath. Karin came out from behind him and slung an arm around his middle. Ichigo jumped slightly, but accepted her brief hug. He gave a chuff of dismay when she too began to leave, but neither Masaki or Isshin made any move to set him on edge. Having had their second daughter returned, Masaki and Isshin looked to Ichigo with calm smiles.

Yuzu held her hand out to Ichigo, beckoning him over with encouraging whispers. Ichigo just looked at her longingly, shuffling slightly. He would start to move towards her, but chicken out and go back. After a while of hesitating and starting, making increasingly distressed noises, Ichigo took a step forward and froze. No reaction... He took another step and did the same, holding his breath. Masaki and Isshin just watched calmly. Another step. Pause. Step. Pause. Step. Pause. Ichigo was starting to crouch now, but he was almost there. Another halting step and Ichigo's hand was in Yuzu's again. She began gently pulling him down so that she could start petting him again, Karin doing the same. Enjoying the comfort but still wildly not okay with being so close to their parents, Ichigo leaned in to the touch but kept his distance. After a while of this, Yuzu took Masaki's hand and held it out to Ichigo. Ichigo immediately skittered back in fear, but Yuzu and Karin reached out for him again.

"It's okay Ichigo, I won't hurt you." Masaki said with a smile.

Huffing, Ichigo felt a twinge of want. She reminded him so much of something, but what he couldn't tell. She smelled warm and safe and... motherly...? So against his better instincts, Ichigo began to slowly move back. Yuzu took Ichigo's hand and moved it towards Masaki. Catching on, Ichigo made a panicked noise and tried to pull back.  _Do not touch quincy, do not touch quincy_. But Yuzu was already petting and soothing him, patting her mother with the other hand. Ichigo was surprised though when Yuzu let go of his hand and Masaki's. Was he? He knew what she wanted him to do... Hesitating, Ichigo began to cautiously reach his hand out from where he was to oh so carefully touch Masaki. Flicking his eyes up to hers checking for any signs of danger, Ichigo poked her palm to test. With no reaction, Ichigo began to play with Masaki's hand, sliding his into hers and folding her fingers one by one. When one suddenly moved he flinched, but he didn't run away this time.

This time it was Masaki's turn and she moved her fingers slowly, wiggling them as Ichigo watched transfixed. Turning her hand this way and that, Masaki began to reach for Ichigo's face like Yuzu had done, but Ichigo immediately hissed at her.  _Do not_. She quickly took her hand back and waited for him to calm down again. Deciding to step in again, Yuzu resumed petting Ichigo and took Masaki's hand slowly up towards his face. Growling slightly but making no move to attack, Ichigo watched intently as Yuzu moved Masaki's hand to the side of his face. She paused slightly before gingerly touching Masaki's hand to his mask. Ichigo froze and everyone seemed to hold their breath, but he didn't do anything further when Masaki caressed his face with her thumb. It was strenuous, but Ichigo was letting her pet him.

As Masaki began to move more of her hand to gently stroke him, Ichigo began to settle. Now Yuzu's hand was gone and it was just Masaki petting him in long soft strokes through his hair. Shivering a little at the soothing sensation, Ichigo found himself moving forward before he had time to consider it. Chuckling slightly, Masaki started petting him with both hands and rubbing the sides of his face. Sighing, Ichigo let her slowly draw him in closer until he was kneeling with his knees touching hers. Masaki began to talk to him in soothing words now that all sounded rather kind to him despite not knowing what they meant. Rumbling deep in his chest, Ichigo began to nuzzle her hands and arms. Now that he knew she was safe (for now) Ichigo began to sniff her all over.

"Jesus..." Isshin breathed watching the display. Snuffling in her hair, Ichigo caught a piece and sneezed.

"Ichigo!" Masaki laughed. Ichigo rumbled happily and nuzzled into her shoulder. Maski just laughed again and pulled him up onto her lap. Now that he wasn't scared she was going to rip his mask off and torture him, he really liked this lady. She definitely smelled like the twins, but she also smelled a little like him. How strange, no wonder she felt so familiar to him.

"Come on dad, it's your turn now." Karin said pulling her father closer. Ichigo watched curiously from the safety of Masaki's lap as Isshin was dragged by his daughter.

"Oh honey I don't know -" Isshin said.

"Does he really look like he's gonna hurt you now?" Kari said rolling her eyes. Isshin immediately snorted and moved forward on his own with confidence until Ichigo hissed and he was forced to hide behind Karin.

"Yes he does Karin!" Isshin yelped. Masaki shook her head and pulled Isshin away from Karin.

"Just don't act like that honey, he's still sensitive. Let him get used to you." Masaki said. Ichigo huddled closer to Masaki as Isshin tried again, but relaxed when she began to pet him once more. Isshin sat beside the two, a little unsure.

"Um, hey there buddy..." He said awkwardly. Masaki took his hand and patted it, making sure Ichigo saw the motion. Somewhat understanding that he was supposed to be safe, Ichigo leaned out from Masaki to cautiously sniff Isshin. He too smelled fairly friendly, and like him too. Ichigo parted his teeth and gave him a quick swipe of the tongue before pulling back to receive more petting. Isshin gasped.

"He licked me! Masaki he licked me!" Isshin whispered excitedly, tugging on her shoulder. Masaki laughed.

"Why don't you try petting him?" She asked scratching Ichigo under his chin.

Slowly, Isshin reached out and put a tentative hand on Ichigo's head. Ichigo let him run his hand through his wild mane too, savoring the sensation. He heard him gasp excitedly and chirped in response. Isshin squealed something along the lines of "ohmygodadorable" startling him slightly. Closing his eyes from the wonderful affection he was getting, Ichigo tried his best to nuzzle into the two at the same time earning pleased chuckles. Sinking into the parent's laps, Ichigo again felt the weight of his exhaustion settle on him as his adrenaline wore off. He was so tired, and it felt so good... Ichigo felt like he was melting and began the slow rumbling in his chest again. Eventually he was heaving with his purring. It was pure bliss being cradled and pet like this, so much so that Ichigo was struggling to stay awake. His limbs were sluggish and heavy as he tried to adjust, and he found that he couldn't move right. His eyes wouldn't stay open either and Ichigo began to panic.

Gurgling in fear, Ichigo struggled against Masaki and Isshin, but the two just held him tight and murmured soothing nothings to him. Now he felt something tugging him and realized that there had been more hands petting him than just Masaki and Isshin's. He saw flashes of Kisuke's face and hat, but darkness was closing in fast. Looking wildly between Masaki and Isshin, Ichigo keened and begged with his eyes for them to help him, but they made no other move than to keep petting him. He could see pain in their eyes, but there was also certainty there. He was surrounded by warmth and comforting sensations despite his panic as he struggled to hold on to consciousness. The last thing he felt was Masaki kissing his mask, sending him into darkness with no more fight.

x

Ichigo woke with a start. He was surrounded by darkness yet again. Waiting groggily for his eyes to adjust, Ichigo shifted and was surprised to find no restraints holding him down. Instead he felt something soft against his skin, and something cushy beneath him. Shrugging the blankets off him, Ichigo looked around the lightless room, golden eyes soaking in the darkness as any hollow should. He was in a large room filled with equipment and machines on the outskirts. He was sitting in a fairly large square of empty space reaching out from the back wall. The bed he was sitting in was set up right against the wall, cool wood making him glad he had the warm blankets. He could feel the drugs working their way through his body, but it was mainly his own high-speed regeneration that made his chest feel so strange. As far as he could see there were no bars caging him, but Ichigo knew better than that. Even with this muddled mind he knew to look for tricks.

Like the woman watching him from the door.

She watched him in silence, unblinking. Ichigo didn't bother to move or cower. He could smell reiatsu in the air, and he could feel in his gut that he couldn't escape her even if he wanted. Silence stretched between them for what felt like an eternity before she finally began to move. Wordlessly she summoned a kido spell to light up her petite form. Rukia wasn't like him, shinigami couldn't see in the dark. But that still didn't make him safe. He never was.

"So you know I'm here." She said. Ichigo remained silent.

"You know I should really tell the Gotei about you." Rukia said walking to him slowly. Ichigo just tracked her with his eyes. She stopped suddenly at a seemingly random distance, but the slight sheen in the air cast by her kido's light told him why. There was no escape.

"I should be calling my captain right now. They should be securing you right now. You should be sealed right now." Rukia said. Ichigo watched her normally bright eyes burning.

"But I won't. I can't. These people, my friends, they trust you and I trust them. If it wasn't for them you would be hidden in the deepest parts of the gotei cooling off, so you should thank them when you're not a mindless beast." Rukia said, but she paused slightly at the last part. Ichigo inclined his head ever so slightly.

"Mostly. Somewhat. I, I know you can't understand me right now but that doesn't really seem to matter. You complicate things so much, Godebert." Rukia said shaking her head.

"You are a  _threat,_  a massive threat on unprecedented scales. Your very existence threatens this entire world and yet you have to act like  _that_ , you have to be 15, you have to go and do things like you did in that room. Renji explained to me what you did to protect those children and how hard you fought to peacefully convince Aizen that we needed help. You were going to sacrifice your safety to warn us, and again to try and keep the twins safe. It seems a recurring theme with you, but is a desire to protect enough to just  _ignore_  what you could do to this world?" Rukia questioned. Her kido was burning brightly, reflecting in her eyes. This seemed somber and important to Ichigo, but there was nothing he could do to engage and she knew it.

"Do you know what's so scary about you? What makes you, shinigami, quincies, arrancars and any spirit with power so dangerous? They're all still human. And humans are deeply flawed. A hollow with power will only use it to survive and evolve, but a human with power? Just look at the world. Look at what wars we've fought and impossible things we've done. The only thing that stops us from destroying the very world that gave us life is a few stone carvings and some relics of a people who didn't know any better." Rukia said.

"You have more power than anyone could imagine and you are human enough to use it any way you please. Even if you do want to use it for good, can you control it?  _'Cause I don't think a 15-year old kid is real good at control_. Maybe if you continue to prove otherwise I'll see where this path takes me, but if not... I will not hesitate to do my duty." Rukia said. Ichigo sensed that this talk was coming to an end as Rukia turned to leave, giving one final parting message.

"I would like to trust you, but I do not have that luxury. I can rest easy however, in that I know many in the gotei who would strive not only to keep the world safe, but you as well." Rukia said before finally leaving.

Ichigo watched as the door clicked closed and wondered at what had just happened. Waiting somewhat aimlessly, Ichigo sighed and began to sniff his bed. It smelled like him, so he knew he'd been here for a while and that he was still very sick. There were only a few spots of black blood on the sheets, which surprised him for some reason. Everything felt so clean and soft, nothing like the filthy concrete floor he'd been chained to... Blood stained walls and floor covered in his own waste and vomit, not even flies managing to survive in the overpowering stench he'd grown so used to... Layers of dirt and every possible liquid that could come out a person layering his red and bruised skin that was beginning to turn a strange greenish yellow where his wounds festered silently in painful rival to the sores covering his frail body -

Ichigo heaved heavily over the floor, but nothing came out. He must have been on IV's, just as he had back then with - Ichigo clutched his head and screamed into the darkness trying to dispel the overwhelming feelings and sensations washing over him. Memories sometimes came to him and stole him away back in time like watching a movie, but most of the time he only caught snatches of it to accompany what his mind and body could remember - feelings. And right now he felt absolutely disgusting, and scared, and hurt and sick and desperate -

Ichigo whined and clawed at his head, trying to make it all go away. He had to distract himself somehow, to stop himself from spiraling like he always did. He tried to gauge his claws into his arms, but something strong took over and forced his hands away from his body. Shrieking in panic, Ichigo slammed into the wall looking around for who was doing this, but secretly he knew. He didn't want to know because then  _he_  would know and he would be seeing all this and he _hated_  that. Panting heavily Ichigo scrabbled against the wall and ground, tangling himself in his blankets. Thrashing around, Ichigo instinctively began trying to cover himself, using the blankets to make a sort of nest. Burying himself deeper into his cushy fortress, Ichigo turned himself into a ball and began to rock back and forth, keening miserably.

The pressure in his head was getting worse, but it was also making him sleepier, exhausted actually. After all he had been through, he knew full well this kind of sleep was better than anything the waking world had to offer because this wasn't something you dreamed in. He didn't want t dream, and he didn't want to stay awake with all this so he willingly gave in to the pressure, drawing his blankets around him and curling into a ball. He willed this sleep to come faster as he panted frantically and his wish was granted. Ichigo closed his eyes and his breathing began to slow. He focused on that from then on, just breathing and hiding in the comfortable darkness given to him. Ages passed in silence as Ichigo just drifted...

...

...

...

Hmm...

...

...

Ichigo sighed...

...

Hmmm...

"Please don't wake up..."

Ichigo woke up. Snorting loudly, Ichigo sat up and zeroed in on the distressed squeak at the edge of the room. Immediately he began to dislodge himself from his makeshift nest trying to smell who was there. He could see her moving behind a piece of equipment, but she seemed too scared to come out where he could identify her so he just continued to sniff the air. Flowers and... red bean paste? Orihime... Ichigo settled a little. He didn't mind her so much, but she'd better not try to get close to him. He was beginning to feel the effects of his sickness again and he was still on edge from his little episode.

"O-oh, you, you did wake up... I'm really sorry Ichigo, I, er, I just needed to drop this stuff off for Kisuke." Orihime said peaking her head just over her hiding place. Panicking a little when she saw that he knew where she was, Orihime made a little noise and scuttled out from behind the machine to put a set of papers on a side table and back.

"Okay! Uh, I'll just uh, leave now...!" Orihime said awkwardly, gesturing at the door and shifting nervously. Ichigo tilted his head and scooted forward a little. Orihime twisted her hands and seemed to hesitate. Why was she acting so odd?

"Um, unless you need something...?" Orihime asked twisting her hands. Ichigo just stared at her curiously.

"Well, you obviously can't answer that..." Orihime said. She paused and took a step forward. "But I promised Kisuke that I would help to take care of you while you healed, so I, I should check up on you." Orihime said, nodding to herself resolutely. Screwing up her courage, Orihime slowly came forward until she was at the edge of his boundary, peering at him.

"Huh, your blankets are all messed up - is that blood?" Orihime frowned. Ichigo looked down and saw that there was indeed a little blood smeared on one of his blankets. Checking himself, Ichigo winced when he felt his back, remembering what had happened now. His healing must have slowed down because it was still a little sore. He shifted slightly to inspect the wall behind him and Orihime gasped.

"How did that happen? Did you have a nightmare and hit the wall?" Orihime shook her head. "That doesn't matter, I need to get you new sheets. Kisuke said it was imperative that you stay in a clean environment and have your bedding cleaned at least three times a day so we can rule out any bacteria. I'm not really supposed to use Shun Shun Rikka on you since we won't know what it'll do, but I can help keep everything clean!" Orihime said. Ichigo just watched in confusion as Orihime quickly left the room and returned with a pile of bedding. She dumped it right by the edge and poked the barrier.

"Alright, now I just have to go... inside... with you... awake..." Orihime trailed off in sudden realization. She swallowed and looked around.

"Uh... You, you don't happen to know where the sedatives are?" Orihime asked, nervously laughing. Getting no response from Ichigo, Orihime sighed and pulled one of her clips from her hair.

"Please don't kill me..." Orihime whispered, tapping her pin to the barrier. Ichigo watched in fascination as a ripple spread across the air to highlight the box he was trapped in. A small tear formed where Orihime's pin was and Orihime quickly pushed the clean bedding through it. Ichigo immediately hopped up, not enjoying having his territory being encroached upon.

"It's okay Ichigo, I'll, I'll be in an-and out in no, no time!" Orihime stuttered stepping through herself. The tear sealed itself, shutting off any hopes of escape. Ichigo met eyes with Orihime and could see the fear there. He growled slightly, making her squeak and back into the barrier.

"N-nice hollow..." Orihime squeaked. Ichigo could smell just how scared she was and felt a small twinge of understanding. But that didn't stop him from standing when she began to move towards him. Orihime stopped.

"Um, maybe I'll just go around the side and, uh, we can trade from there..." She said, holding the bedding in front of her like a shield.

Realizing that Orihime wasn't just going to leave now, Ichigo backed himself up against the wall and drew himself up to his full height. She didn't have any visible weapons, but he could smell the sheer power emanating from her being. It was unlike anything he'd felt before, but it was still somehow familiar. It tickled at his senses and left a bittersweet taste despite the gentle aura she gave. Regardless of her fearful and meek demeanor, this girl was in his territory and he had to be wary. What was she doing?

Orihime was edging slowly around him, giving him a wide berth as she made her way towards the wall. She had to pause though whenever Ichigo growled, waiting motionlessly until Ichigo settled enough for her to keep moving. This went on for a while until Orihime finally made it the wall. Deciding that she was far closer than he wanted, Ichigo hissed at her and crouched defensively. Orihime immediately backed up and crouched herself, careful not to let the bedding touch the ground. The two proceeded to stare at each other in a silent standoff, Ichigo puffed up and glaring, Orihime peeking over her mass of bedding. Minutes passed and time began to drag on, neither making a move or breaking eye contact. Eventually Ichigo began to grow uncomfortable crouching, and Orihime seemed to be sitting already. He tried just shifting at first, but he was really starting to get sore and tired. Finally Ichigo just gave up and slowly adjusted so he was kneeling, all while watching Orihime. His mane was no longer puffy and his breathing had long returned to normal. Ichigo heaved a silent sigh and rested his head against the wall as his mind began to wander now that it seemed Orihime was no danger.

He really did appreciate the little bed he had sitting there, it made this wait far more bearable. It was also much nicer to sleep on than the cold concrete floor, much warmer. It wasn't really so bad here despite how vehemently he hated being trapped like this. The dark, silent room made it much easier to relax and the wide open space made this place feel different than... the other place... which really did make a difference. Whereas that place had made him feel trapped, isolated, and  _desperate_  for some kind of human contact, this was more like the inside of his skyscrapers in his inner world when he was younger. He had others with him then though, Shiro and Ossan. Well, he wasn't truly along in here.

Ichigo opened eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed and blinked when he saw Orihime still waiting. Was it just him or did she seem much closer than before? Orihime gave him a small smile and Ichigo turned away, a little uncomfortable at her insistance to engage with him. Deciding it was better to just ignore her until she gave up and went away, Ichigo went back to spacing off. After a while he heard a slight shuffle and opened his eyes again. She was closer. Another smile. Ichigo just wrapped himself in his blankets, not really paying attention to her anymore. She was easy to forget, or maybe she was just easy to get used to? Either way, he didn't exactly feel the need to monitor her after so long of nothing happening. It was boring really, and he was quite tired now that his powers were winding down. Besides, she was far enough away that there really was no issue. Except she had gotten just a few feet away from him now.

Ichigo just stared at her stiffly, wondering how she'd managed to get so close. She too seemed to freeze as Ichigo looked at her, making direct eye contact as she always did. With a jolt Ichigo realized that she couldn't actually see, she was just tracking his eyes. Ichigo immediately shielded his eyes and waited. Sure enough, once she thought he wasn't looking she began to scoot closer to him. Ichigo growled and Orihime flinched, clearly not expecting him to know she was moving. He was fine (begrudgingly) if she wanted to be in here sitting silently in a corner leaving him the hell alone, he was fine if she shared a wall with him, but he was not fine with her getting into his personal space. Even if that space was a 20 foot bubble. He had had enough and was ready to send her running the next time she moved, but this time she didn't.

Instead she began to hum quietly. Ichigo... didn't know how to react to that. He liked his silence, but her humming wasn't exactly unpleasant, just unexpected. The longer she hummed, the more Ichigo was able to pick out a tune from it. He didn't know the song, but it sounded very soothing, so he didn't stop her. It was actually somewhat... nice, just sitting next to someone. No stress, no aggression, just sitting. Eventually the humming stopped and Ichigo found that he'd started to fall asleep. Now as silence took hold again, Ichigo kind of wished she would start humming again. They both sat with their backs against the wall looking out into the darkness, Ichigo seeing and Orihime blindly sensing. After a while she spoke.

"You know I expected you to attack me by now." She said quietly. Ichigo didn't know what she was saying, but she had put him in a strangely calm mood and somehow managed to make him comfortable with her presence. So he listened.

"I thought that I would have to grab your old bedding and run as fast as I could, and that was my plan for a long while. But then the more time I spent here, the more I got to thinking. Everyone has such different ideas about you and we've all been arguing over what to do. I've been so busy arguing about why they're wrong though, that I haven't really had time to consider why I'm right, or even if I  _am_  right." Orihime said.

"Uryu believes that you can't control yourself and was just born a threat. He agrees with Rukia about you needing to be in the Soul Society with your rights held by the Gotei, but he has good intentions. He really thinks that you would be happiest there, even if he tries to act like he mainly says captivity because you're a danger to everyone else. He does care about you in a roundabout way, he just doesn't understand that you're more than just what races you are." Orihime said with a shake of her head.

"Rukia believes that you're a threat _because_ you're more than what races you are. She has no faith that you will make the right choices and still really believes in the Gotei and doing her duty. Renji is kind of the same, but his experience with that captain he was with are making him question some stuff right now. He also just wants to let everyone else decide and remain neutral, but that isn't good either. Doing nothing is just the same as condemning someone because you're still making it possible for other, bad things to happen. Like not voting on a movie and ending up unable to watch the three hour documentary on starfish you liked because your friends voted for some  _boring_  thriller movie." Orihime said. She sighed.

"And then there was what I thought, that you should stay here and train with us. I thought that this would work because you wouldn't always be an uncontrollable hollow and you could learn to repress that. But then I began to think about your hollow side while I was trying to get your bedding to you and I realized that I was thinking of you like a monster. A monster would have attacked me with no question, but you didn't. When I did something you didn't like like moving, you let me know you were unhappy. When I did something you were okay with, you started to relax. That was you making decisions and even communicating with me, not like some mindless creature but like a wild animal that's scared." Orihime said.

"And that's when I realized you were still Ichigo, just scared and confused and in a different form. You lashed out at me on the rooftop because you were scared, so why wouldn't you do that now? I've been trying really hard to understand all this stuff about the supernatural world, and it's been really confusing, but I just need to remember when people are people, you know? Rukia is responsible for the flow of souls into the afterlife, but she also loves rabbits and climbing. Chad was right about how we shouldn't be basing everything off of how you are now for who and what you are. You're scared right now so that does make you aggressive and unpredictable, but fear fades. If we really want to judge you, we should at least know you. And I bet you're a great person, so I decided that I would try my hardest to stop thinking of you as this hollow or whatever part you happen to be, and to just think of you as Ichigo!" Orihime finished.

Ichigo grunted and turned to her, sensing that she had just finished doing or saying something important. Orihime huffed and smiled at him, seemingly glad that he had continued to listen. Well, he had no idea what she had just said, but it probably didn't apply all that much to him so he just yawned. All this listening was making him tired.

"You know, I can set your bed up later. I finished all my homework anyways, and it is a Saturday, so why don't I just stay a little longer? Ooh! I can tell you about this weird dream I had!" Orihime exclaimed. Ichigo yawned again, really feeling just how much time had passed. He could sense that whatever this was was coming to an end as his body slowly began to shut down. He could only heal so much, so he knew he was going to sleep soon.

"But that was pretty normal for my dreams, though Tatsuki usually shows up as a crab instead of a robot. Things didn't get weird until after - oh, are you going to sleep?" Orihime asked. Ichigo sighed and let his head rest against the wall, settling in the thick burrito of blankets he'd made for himself. He opened his eyes though when Orihime continued to stay silent.

"Oh, you... want me to keep talking?" She asked hesitantly. Ichigo just stared at her through sleepy eyes. Orihime scooted closer to him and he let her, not quite sure if it was because he genuinely was comforted or was just close to passing out.

"Okay, I could just keep talking until you fall asleep and de-hollowfy. Well I suppose I should talk about something more interesting... Do you like any tv shows? I was watching this one about a girl who was secretly a zombie but couldn't tell her boyfriend because it was supposed to be some horrible secret, but I think it would great to be a zombie! Imagine how much you would save on food and..." Orihime continued to ramble on animatedly. Ichigo closed his eyes again, listening absently. He enjoyed listening to her voice. It was nice knowing he wasn't alone.

* * *

Hey, so somebody on AO3 made some really cool fanart for Rebirth and I wanted to show the link to their tumblr here so you can go check it out. The piece is by Junko (AO3 username) on https://notquitetheoneyouwerelookingfor.tumblr.com.

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health

\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

* * *

 So apparently there's a character limit on notes so I'm posting these notes not in the notes section...

Japan doesn't actually have a mandatory kindergarten, just straight to first grade at the age of six.  
Okay, so I just found out about Burn The Witch, Tite Kubo's little one-shot about a couple of witches working for Soul Society's Western Branch and I am sister shook in so many ways. Just look it up on the Bleach wiki, it's all kinds of wild. I mean I'm hella glad to be learning more about the world of Bleach since so many things were left in the dark, like was all of Soul Society clustered in that one spot, does all of the World of the Living have reverse counterparts in the Soul Society, are there other branches that reflect the culture of the area and so on... But I already had all this stuff prepared that I'm gonna have to change, so it is a bit frustrating at the same time. I think what I'm just going to do is stick to Bleach as we know it and just be aware of what comes up in Burn The Witch. If Burn The Witch gains more attention and proves itself to be way more integral to Bleach, then I'll think about including aspects of the Western Branch and dragons. But for now I will just focus things in the Seireitei and Japan with minor references to everything else. I still have no idea how I managed to go so long without knowing about Burn The Witch.  
Man, writing dreams is both really fun and really whack. Dreams rarely make sense, and when you suffer from PTSD or most other trauma based disorders your nightmares are not strictly flashbacks that play out like you often see in movies. Your brain is far from perfect, and trauma can mess with your memory a lot too. What your subconscious will remember is what you felt, so when you have nightmares about the trauma it won't necessarily be the actual event itself, but a vague recollection of what you felt and/or situations that would elicit those same feelings plus whatever else your brain decides to throw up during sleep time. So while Ichigo might not have a crystal clear flashback of hiding from Lena underneath a sink, he might have a dream about hiding from a flying bowl of pasta in a china cabinet. Wildly different things, but both are a result of his PTSD and while the second dream might seem funny, it still remains absolutely terrifying because he's still going through the trauma in a different way. Different setting, same feelings. And that can be super confusing and even embarrassing, which sucks because then you think that you're just freaking out over nothing and might wake up not realizing why you're in full out panic-attack.  
I just think that's important to note, because while I certainly do not suffer from anything like PTSD, I had issues in the past with anxiety that really confused me. I found for a very long time that for some reason whenever I got around to the spring months or the weather took a shift that I would suddenly get anxious more often or start to have attacks again. I didn't understand why I would suddenly get like that and it kind of scared me because it made me feel like I didn't have as much control as I thought I did. When I eventually realized that it was spring months and weather causing it, I got super embarrassed and angry at myself for reacting like that to weather. I mean, who the hell gets like that over stupid weather?! But then one day I was thinking about when my issues had first began and I realized that it was those specific spring months that I had had a mental breakdown and experienced the worst anxiety of my life. Even though I wasn't making the connection, my subconscious had already associated that time with horrible anxiety and the start of a real wild time for me that pretty much changed me forever. After that little revelation I began to look at other "quirks" or weird reactions I had and saw some of them for what they were. I had no idea what anxietant triggers were then or all the ways people react to anxiety, but I was able to recognize that anxiety often manifests itself in seemingly random ways. I mean it's all fascinating and I would really encourage you to look at anxiety and PTSD, and triggers and especially personal experiences with both because so much of it does not fit into cookie cutter images. I've already made these notes way too long, but this just felt important to address both because I write this stuff and my story to accurately show these experiences to educate and help people, and because this is how Ichigo's experiences will be written. I mean you've seen the warnings and Ichigo is clearly dealing with a lot, so you have to know that I will be writing about this stuff. If you deal with any of the stuff I write about and see anything inaccurate or just want to share with me your experiences and how something might be written, then by all means go ahead! I want to be as accurate and realistic as possible.  
You know, I think it says something about me that as I was writing Ichigo's dream I just knew that that wasn't even the worst of it. But Ichigo has people to help him with all that now, even if Rukia and Uryu are still trying to understand the issue. But in usual Orihime-style, Orihime luckily had a deep and meaningful revelation about kindness directly followed by an extremely confusing conversation about Tatsuki crabs and why she would want to be a zombie.

As always, thank you for all the feedback and feel free to let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 15: And Now You Know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is another long one, but there is a lot of important stuff in here. It'll still be wildly confusing though. I uploaded this a day early because my town is frickin' dying, we had to cancel almost an entire week of school due to snow which gave me more time to write.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Thoughts/Speech_

_**Shiro (Zangetsu)** _

**Ossan/Old Man (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 15: And Now You Know.**

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Ichigo sighed almost reflexively as he snuggled deeper into the soft cushioning around his head. Pillow. A pillow? He was on a pillow. When had that happened? Ichigo cracked one eye open to see that he was indeed resting on a pillow, a whole bed in fact. The thick blankets covering him were warm and soft, and there must have been an extra pad or something on his bed because none of his bony joints were digging into the floor like they normally did in his sleeping bag. Were all beds like this? Was it sad that he'd never been in a bed before to know?

Ichigo tried moving experimentally and was surprised to find himself unhindered by restraints. The soft pillow, warm, comfortable bed, no restraints and odd feeling were all making this feel truly unreal. But what sold it was what happened when Ichigo took a deep breath. No pain. He was shocked to realize that the odd feeling he was experiencing wasn't really a feeling, but a lack of it. He wasn't in pain... Sure his joints ached a little and there was of course that ever-present feeling of skin stretched too far over bones (not a great description, but it really felt like his body was outgrowing itself), but his lungs no longer burned and shot stabbing pains up and down his body. His chest rose and fell unencumbered with clear breaths as he lay there in wonder. His fingers and toes didn't feel quite so numb either...

This was a dream. That had to be it. He'd had lucid dreams before, so that had to be what this was. Opening both eyes now, Ichigo blinked against the bright sunlight illuminating the room from the windows he was next to. Once his eyes adjusted, Ichigo watched dust motes floating serenely in the morning light bathing the room in a slight glow. As for the room beyond the ethereal feel the light was giving it, it was a simple old-fashioned bedroom with his lone bed on the floor, wood walls, and rice paper windows and doors. One of which was cracked open. Ichigo turned his head curiously to peer at the door, but he couldn't see much through the crack thanks to the black doorstop in front on the outside. Yellow eyes blinked at him. Ichigo jolted. It was not a doorstop, but a cat sitting right outside the door. Ichigo watched as the eyes disappeared and the cat began to move behind the screen.

Pushing it's way in with it's head, the cat blinked at him calmly. Ichigo blinked back. What a weird dream... He recognized this cat from the park. Man was that a long time ago, or at least it felt a long time ago. The cat pushed the rest of itself into the room smooth as water to come walking up to him slowly, piercing eyes focused on him. The cat stopped at Ichigo's bed and sat. Ichigo slowly shifted onto his side continuing to just watch the cat curiously. Yawning, the cat settled onto it's stomach and rested it's head right by Ichigo's pillow. Worming one hand up through the blankets, Ichigo offered his hand to the cat. Sniffing him, the cat got up with it's tail waving in the air and began rubbing against Ichigo's hand. Ichigo huffed slightly, the closest he could come to a chuckle.

"A lot friendlier now, huh?" He asked. His voice came out rough and scratchy, like he had a cold or hadn't used his voice in too long.

The cat just continued to push at Ichigo's hand with it's head, sniffing around his blankets curiously. Ichigo shifted to make more room and the cat immediately began trying to climb into bed with him. Ichigo was forced to shuffle back as the cat seemingly decided on a good spot and settled against his chest, half under the blankets. Ichigo moved his other arm out and shifted again so he could comfortably pet the cat with both hands, mouth twitching when he saw how much it was enjoying the treatment.

"Man, this has got to be the best dream I've ever had..." Ichigo said absently clearing his throat. The cat looked at him curiously through his petting, still purring.

"Most of my dreams are actually nightmares." Ichigo explained. "But it's not like I'm complaining or anything. This is really nice, just getting to lay here and relax. For once nobody's trying to kill me, hurt me, capture me, I'm not in danger, and I'm not in pain. Besides, it's not like I want to wake up anymore."

The cat looked at Ichigo with a strange expression in it's eyes at that, pausing it's purring for a moment. Ichigo just closed his eyes and continued to pet the cat. He was greatly enjoying the peace, but he knew it wouldn't last. Sure it might not seem like he was going to wake up any time soon, but somebody or something else would force him back into the waking world. So Ichigo tried his best to savor the moment, affectionately petting the cat until it was back to purring. After a while of this, Ichigo sighed and opened his eyes again. This was nice, but he couldn't stay like this.

"I'd offer you some catnip or something, but it seems this dream doesn't have much to it." Ichigo said and stopped petting the cat. The cat immediately looked up and meowed loudly at him, not very happy. Ichigo sighed again.

"I know, but I can't. It doesn't matter what I want. I have to wake up, I have to keep going no matter how much I might not want to or am afraid to. I never should have went to the bridge or even allowed myself to think that all of this was just in my head. I wouldn't have thought I was crazy if I hadn't  _wanted_  somewhere deep down for none of it to be real - and I really did. I really did want for all that shit to just be a product of my screwed up head because I was a  _selfish coward_  and didn't want to have to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep living." Ichigo growled clenching his fists. "I'm still just a fucking coward hiding..."

The cat was staring at him intently now, but Ichigo was too upset with himself to notice. He'd been a damn moron to let himself believe that everything was just nightmares and hallucinations, it was all too real for him to just ignore it so he came up with that lame excuse for everything. A small part of him whispered that it was mainly because everyone else said he was crazy and his zanpakuto hadn't been there to prove them wrong, but Ichigo angrily shoved that stupid voice down like he always did. The constant antagonizing thoughts that told him this was  _his_  fault, _he_  was the one messing everything up, he was just a stupid,  _selfish_   _fucking coward_  were too loud to ever drown out, and he knew they were right. What else was there? Who else was there? He was the only one who could do this, and he would NOT hide from his responsibility. It was his duty to protect and everyone depended on him to do it flawlessly. When he messed up or took his damn time resting and healing, people died. He was responsible for that, he was killing the very people that depended on him to save them. Right now thousands perished while he dragged his feet, he was their salvation and he was failing every single one of them with every second that passed, every minute that flew by.

 _And to think that he had almost succeeded on the bridge..._  Ichigo was starting to tremble now. He had tried to abandon them that day, how dare he do that!? How could he do that?! He was all they had and he had tried to end his pain - no,  _trade his pain_  for their lives because he had let himself grow weak and selfish. No wonder Shiro had tried to take him over so much! He was right!  _He didn't deserve to be King_. He was going to abandon Shiro and Ossan too, their lives were tied to his. He couldn't end things without killing them, his greatest and only friends. There was no out for him, no rest or relief, not for a  _thing_  like him. Commander Ahmya was right, he couldn't deny what he was.  _Weapons_  don't get an out and worse yet,  _monsters_  don't  _deserve_  an out.

Ichigo was jolted from his self-loathing and despair with a yowl from the cat. Blinking at the anxious feline, Ichigo realized he was shaking all over now and sweating profusely. Ichigo sucked in a breath and rubbed his face with unsteady hands. He often worked himself up like this, really any time he really had spare time to think so he knew he wasn't sick. Bringing his hands down with a shaky sigh, Ichigo scratched the cat's head trying and failing to get it to relax.

"I don't deserve to dream. I'm just hiding from what needs to be done. I have a duty to do, a responsibility outside these stupid dreams. It's time for me to wake up." Ichigo said setting the cat by his side. Upon getting up however, Ichigo found his chest covered in bandages under the white yukata he was wearing. Ichigo winced slightly when he pressed against his chest.

"Ow..." He did feel pain, just when he bothered his chest. Now Ichigo wasn't so sure about this dream as he continued to move. Pain was the one thing he knew was real and by consequence the only thing he could actually depend on. It was ever present and probably the most grounding force in his life, his most useful double-edged sword.

"...This is a dream, right...?" Ichigo questioned.

Now he began to check himself, finding a couple of healing dots on his arms where there had probably been an IV, or injections but he didn't find any wounds, so that was good. Coming to his hair though, Ichigo did a double take. Was his hair, shorter? It was still longer than what it had been on his human body, but now it no longer went to his shoulders. His side pieces were also tied back with a hairpin, the little tuft of orange hair in the back a bit flat from having his head resting on the pillow. His bangs still hung low over his eyes, but it was clear someone had styled his hair. Probably washed it too since it felt different now, softer. He was used to his coarse, matted brown shag, but this felt way nicer. For once he could actually run his fingers through it, and he bet it was even back to it's original color.

"You didn't sneak in and give me a hair-cut while I was asleep, did you?" Ichigo asked.

The cat just meowed and sniffed at his chest. Gently pushing it away, Ichigo pushed his blankets off and tried to stand. He immediately felt his legs buckle and barely stopped himself from falling with the help of the wall. He was way weaker than he should be from just being in bed. What the hell was going on here? Ichigo began to take stock of his surroundings more closely now that he was starting to wonder if this was real. His eyes only saw a simple room, but his senses alerted him to something else. Feeling along the wall once he managed to get his legs under him, Ichigo could feel the subtle buzz of reiatsu on his skin that would normally go unnoticed by others. He was absolute shit when it came to sensing reiatsu for the most part, but feeling it was easy as reiatsu, null or not, had a tendency to bring him some degree of pain as his own reiatsu did. It was normal for him, but Mari had once tried to explain to him that that wasn't quite right. He didn't really remember why though.

Seeing as this room was probably covered in seals, Ichigo eyed the cracked open door suspiciously. This was still a cage, just a well-disguised one, so why was the door open? Was it a trick? For some reason the sight of an open door in this situation made Ichigo cringe and shy away from it. It always confused him how such random things could set him off, but this one he understood the reason for. He still bore the scars from their games.

Ichigo was so busy struggling with the urge to run or hide that he almost didn't notice when the cat moved through the door to stare back at him. It meowed almost encouragingly, as if wanting him to follow. Well, if the cat had made it through fine, it probably wasn't a trick... Unless they had done that on purpose to make him think it was safe so he would go through and then they would - no, no! Ichigo shook his head angrily. Dammit, he was doing it again. He tried to force his mind to stop it's frantic calculating and just focus on the situation. He always did this, judging and testing everything and calculating and thinking ahead until he could barely stand it. But this is what had kept him alive for so long... He knew better than to trust anything, but he couldn't let it get in the way of simple things like just going through a  _fucking door_.

"God I'm a mess..." Ichigo sighed rubbing his face. Despite his instincts railing against him, Ichigo tentatively approached the door and stuck a hand through. He half expected to be shocked or stabbed or beat or some other horrible punishment, but all he got was just the wooden frame against his hand.

The cat stared at Ichigo passively, waiting for him. Deciding to just get it over with, Ichigo stepped through and looked around nervously at the hallway he was in. He knew he was just being paranoid, but he immediately felt like he had done something wrong by leaving his cage. Despite how peaceful and calm it was he was still on edge as he silently padded down the hallway past empty rooms, cat by his side. He hated having to travel through rooms alone and hated being indoors even more, so he was glad for the company the little black cat provided. It helped to distract him from how familiar this place was in his mind, old fashioned building, silent, empty...

Well, mostly empty. He already knew there were several souls in this building thanks to that most if not all weren't bothering to hide their reiatsu. But the smell of flowers and... some sort of food, he wanted to say red bean paste...? alerted him to the person wandering up ahead of him before they rounded the corner and saw him. He immediately froze to stare right back at Orihime, somehow feeling as if he'd just been caught. But seeing her released a flood of memories and he was suddenly struck with the events of the past few days from escaping Mayuri's lab to being knocked out with kido. So he must be at one of the group's houses...

"O-oh, Ichigo! You're awake, that's great!" Orihime beamed, but dimmed a little when she saw how Ichigo flinched and took a step back at her voice.

"Ah, you, you must be pretty confused waking up here. This is actually the back of Kisuke's shop, the man with the hat and clogs that set up all those barriers by the portal you made. After Yoruichi knocked you out Masaki and Isshin took you here so that Kisuke could heal you and try to find a cure for you." Orihime said. Ichigo blinked.

"A cure? Wha - you mean he actually figured out a way to stop Black Rot?!" Ichigo exclaimed. No wonder he wasn't in so much pain, if this Kisuke had been treating him then there was a chance he'd actually pushed the disease back. But how? None of the scientists or healers in the Old Worlds could ever figure out how to treat it beyond regeneration. Orihime's face screwed up in confusion.

"Black Rot? Is that what your illness is called? No wonder, oh that sounds  _awful_... Um, but Kisuke doesn't have a way to really cure it since he doesn't have more cases. He just figured out a way to treat it so that your body could better fight it and eventually flush it out of your system, so you still have to take medication for a long while yet." Orihime said offering him a gentle smile. It was clear that she was trying to give him as much information and hope as possible to put him at ease. Normally such things would immediately set him off, but she seemed incredibly genuine as well as kind... It just made him feel worse thinking about how she'd looked at him when she first saw him back in that parking lot.

"Thank you... He really was trying to heal me?" Ichigo asked, unconsciously touching his chest. Orihime nodded.

"Of course! I don't know what things were like with Mayuri - beyond being, uh, really bad - but Kisuke isn't anything like him! He uses his knowledge to help other people, like Chad and I. I'm sure you've noticed by now that we can see spirits, since we can see you - which is actually thanks to you!" Orihime said tapping her hairpins. Ichigo could sense some sort of strange power coming from those clips and Orihime, but how had he done that?

"Me?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yup! Do you remember that night at the academy?" Orihime asked. The academy... Ichigo put a hand to his head and groaned as he recalled that awful night.

"That Nejireta... Oh god do I remember that night... I, I never did get to apologize for leaving you there that night, so I'm sorry. I heard the police coming and I didn't know how to heal you and I knew that they had paramedics who would be way better at it than me and I couldn't afford to get -" Orihime cut off Ichigo's rant waving her hands.

"Oh no, no! I didn't bring this up to make you guilty - which you totally shouldn't! You couldn't have stayed and you made sure we would get help before you left, and besides, you saved us! If anything we should be thanking you. But that creature didn't bring us to spiritual awareness,  _you_  did when you released all that reiatsu. Kisuke says that there was some sort of seal placed on your human body to keep you from having any powers and squash down all your reiatsu, but you were so powerful that the souls around you were affected anyways. Chad, Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, and I have all been growing spiritually by being in your presence, so when that seal nearly broke at the academy and your reiatsu went all crazy, Chad and I were pushed so far to spiritual awareness that we developed powers!" Orihime explained.

"So you guys became, uh, Frim... Folgers, er, Full... Fullbringers!" Ichigo said with a snap. Damn, he hadn't had heard that term in a long time. Orihime gave a weird sort of shrug-nod hybrid.

"Yes and no... Chad became a fullbringer and uses his skin to manifest abilities, but my hairpins have spirits like a zanpakuto so I'm not an actual fullbringer. Kisuke says that it's very rare, but some human souls just manifest powers that don't fit into what we know..." Orihime said. Well, that certainly explained how strange she felt. He might not be great at identifying a soul by their reiatsu, but he could sort of tell just by the scent it had, or something like that. Shiro had said that hollows and people like him tended to have a sort of sixth sense (maybe seventh counting reiatsu sensing) for these things if they were sensitive enough to it or were forced to rely on it. Ichigo was mostly the latter.

"I'm sure that won't stop you from mastering your powers." Ichigo assured. Orihime laughed and gave him a radiant smile.

"Thank you! But I should think I'd be on my way considering I've been training for around four weeks now!" Orihime said. Ichigo blanched.

"Four weeks?! But I was only in Mayuri's lab for a couple of days! How long was I out?!" Ichigo panicked. Orihime came forward seeing his distress.

"Oh it's okay Ichigo, don't freak out, you haven't been asleep that long! You've been resting for a total of three weeks - but don't freak out!" Orihime said quickly. "Everything's been taken care of and everyone is safe thanks to you. Why don't you come with me and we can talk to everyone about what's all happened while you've been asleep?" Orihime asked. Ichigo didn't quite respond as he felt himself wobble slightly. No wonder he felt so weird and weak, he'd been asleep for three weeks.

"Ichigo? Are you alright?" Orihime asked much closer to him looking like she was about to help him sit down or something. Ichigo just waved her off and leaned against the wall.

"Sure, I, I just need a minute..." Ichigo said absently. Orihime nodded and moved back, still watching him closely.

Three weeks... If this much time had passed here, what was going on in the Old Worlds? Time worked differently there, but it was generally accepted that months could pass there for one week here. And what about here? What had happened to Lena in three weeks? Was his body even still usable? He'd probably been buried already... Had there been a funeral? Probably not, but they'd at least announced it at school. School... Oh god, everyone knew now... Did Orihime know? Was that why she had looked at him like that?

"So, I've... I've been dead for three weeks..." Ichigo said. Orihime sombered and began to play with her hands.

"...Yes. We came to school Monday and found out about everything. The police came in and took us out of class to question everyone... No one had expected you, to, uh... well because you had just seemed so happy that last week so everyone was really shocked. Kisuke and Isshin can explain more about the case when we go to them..." Orihime said. Ichigo nodded slowly, unable to look her in the eye. So now everyone knew what a fucked up coward he was. It was weird at first to think about what he'd done and that everyone thought he was gone, but now he just felt... disgusting. Ashamed. Everyone knew what a freak he was, they just knew so much now.

"Um, I-I actually wanted to talk to you about that. I just, I wanted to apologize for how I reacted when I first saw you after you came back to Karakura." Orihime said twisting her hands. Ichigo looked up in surprise.

"Apologize?" Ichigo asked. Orihime nodded, eyes full of guilt.

"I know that you were scared and hurt, and that you didn't really know any of us or had any reason to trust us, but I could have done something to stop you from trying to run. I really didn't mean to look at you like that when I saw you, but it was just so shocking to see you alive again. You were also covered in blood and looked really sick... I just wish I would have said something to try and reassure you instead of just staring - and I know that that upset you so you can't say I'm making something out of nothing. I hope you know that I was only acting like that because I just knew this time around that I, a-and really everyone else, had been so ignor -" Ichigo interrupted Orihime's apology quickly.

"It's okay, it's alright... Orihime, that wasn't your fault at all. I understand how shocking that could be now, but at the time I wasn't exactly thinking. I also didn't really realize just how bad I looked then, so yeah... But I really do appreciate you apologizing. I um, I'm used to being stared and looked at but nobody's ever really thought about how I feel about that... So, uh, thanks..." Ichigo trailed off awkwardly. Orihime seemed to understand and looked considerably relieved.

"Okay, well I hope you know that there are people that you can talk to, especially me. Even if you want to talk about the bridge I wo -" Ichigo stopped her again.

"I really don't want to talk about that right now. I mean, thank you and I'll keep that in mind, but please, just, stop." Ichigo said haltingly. Orihime immediately shut her mouth and Ichigo couldn't help but feel horrible, but he still would have stopped her. He refused to talk about that, and no matter how nice she was she just didn't understand.

"Okay, I understand." Orihime said quietly. She cleared her throat. "Are you feeling well enough to go talk to everyone now?" She asked. Ichigo sighed and pushed off of the wall.

"Yeah, lead the way." He said. He still felt pretty weak, but he needed information and he wasn't exactly in danger of collapsing. He turned back to gesture for the cat to follow him, but blinked when he only saw empty hallway.

"Ichigo?" Orihime asked. Ichigo turned back and peeked around her.

"Uh, did you see a black cat anywhere? It was just with me..." He said. Orihime frowned.

"A black cat? Well there is a black cat that hangs around the shop and comes in sometimes, but I haven't ever seen him back here." Orihime said.

"Guess he got bored and left..." Ichigo said, only slightly disappointed. It was always nice to meet an animal that didn't want to tear his face off.

From there Orihime led him down the hall in relative silence until they reached the actual store part. Then she became extremely talkative, pointing out all her favorite foods and various spiritual wares. After that she led him to the other side of the shop where Ichigo was surprised to find another set of hallways and rooms. Orihime explained that this was no normal shop and there was even an underground training area despite how small the shop looked from the outside. Apparently this was the side of the shop where her and Chad had been staying a lot as she animatedly told him about every room and all the fun and/or scary things that had happened in them. Throughout all of this Ichigo just listened, occasionally asking questions but mostly just staying silent. He actually quite preferred this, and Orihime had a lot of funny stories despite how often she became distracted or sidetracked. After showing him her room, Orihime suddenly trailed off with a sheepish look on her face. Ichigo was going to ask her what was wrong when she spoke again.

"...But you probably don't want to hear about all that. I'm really sorry Ichigo, I just spent this entire time talking your ear off when all you wanted was to get to Kisuke and everyone else! Oh darn it, why do I have to talk so much!? You know, I already know everyone in class thinks I talk too much and I - Ah! I'm doing it again!" Orihime cried.

"I don't mind you talking Orihime, in fact I actually really like hearing what you have to say." Ichigo quickly said. He had heard classmates talking about what a chatterbox Orihime was (which wasn't wrong), but nobody had the right to make somebody feel like they shouldn't get to talk. Especially somebody as nice as Orihime. Orihime immediately began rubbing the back of her head, looking a little surprised.

"Really? That's almost exactly what Chad had said! Wow, I bet you two would really like each other." Orihime said.

"Yeah, well he's right too. Sure you talk a lot, but that just means I get to hear more of what you think and you have some really interesting thoughts." Ichigo said. Now Orihime was starting to blush, but Ichigo was nothing if honest. He felt he should at least make up for how hostile he was on the roof.

"I didn't expect our little patient to be such a gentleman." Someone purred from behind. Ichigo whirled around to see the same woman who had knocked him out watching the two with an impish smile.

"Yoruichi-san!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Oh don't worry Orihime, I'm not here to steal Ichigo." Yoruichi said with a wink. Ichigo choked and Orihime went beet red.

"You, w-wha - I was just being nice!" Ichigo spluttered.

"Yeah!" Orihime squeaked. Just then Masaki and Isshin walked in on the scene, lighting up when they saw Ichigo up and about, if a little confused.

"What's going on here?" Masaki asked.

"Oh Ichigo's just telling Orihime about how much he likes her and wants to hear what she thinks, the little casanova." Yoruichi said with a grin.

"That's not what I said at all! It's not like that!" Ichigo protested. Masaki just rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't listen to Yoruichi, she's just trying to work you up. She does this to every two people who happen to say something nice about each other." Masaki said. Isshin nodded sagely.

"She used to joke about how Kisuke and I were having an affair and were going to run off to Spain together." He said with a slight pout.

"Oh you two just have to go and ruin all my fun. And I'm still counting on that post-card the next time you disappear for 'work.'" Yoruichi said adding air-quotes. Masaki just sighed.

"Come on Ichigo, Kisuke and everyone else are already waiting in the other room." Masaki said, gesturing for him to follow. Huffing slightly, Ichigo did and was led to a room that smelled of tea and snacks. Upon entering, Ichigo immediately locked eyes with Renji.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Drinking tea dumbass, what are you doing here?" Renji shot back. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Not in this room, dickweed! What are you doing here at the shop, in the World of the Living? I thought you'd be back in the Soul Society helping captain four-eyes or getting arrested for, for... helping me...escape... Are you hiding out here?" Ichigo asked. He certainly hoped that Renji hadn't gotten into trouble for helping him, but if he was then he needed to know... Or apologize...

"Well that's part of a larger story you need to hear. Why don't you take a seat?" Kisuke interjected, gesturing at an empty place at the front of the round table. Ichigo obliged, feeling a little strange since it really wasn't often he was ever invited to sit with someone. Masaki, Isshin, Orihime, and Yoruichi all took their places too. Orihime immediately began picking out snacks from the assortment, singling out some very odd looking treats that no one else had even touched.

"So first off, introductions!" Kisuke exclaimed. "I know you already know a lot of people in this room, but there are a few new faces and bits of information, so we'll just go around the room."

"Well as Kisuke said you already know us, but I think it's worth mentioning that I am a quincy and Isshin is a shinigami." Masaki said. Isshin struck a heroic pose.

"That's right! Humble but handsome Isshin Kurosaki while known as the talented, super handsome doctor in this life was once a mighty shinigami! But in a tragic tale of forbidden love, forsoke his awesome career beating up hollows to repay the brave and beautiful quincy girl by saving her life and becoming the greatest, most handsome father known to mankind! And spiritkind!" Isshin added. Rukia snorted.

"A lot of talk for a humble _former_  foot soldier. And you just called yourself handsome three times already." Rukia said. Isshin seemed to physically deflate, bursting into tears onto Masaki's shoulder. She just patted his head and chuckled.

"There there, you may not be fighting hollows now but you're still my hero." Masaki soothed planting a kiss on his lips. Rukia rolled her eyes and Orihime awwed at the couple.

"And you're still my hero too!" Isshin cried kissing her back. Gagging could be heard from a room over.

"Get a room!" A faint voice called.

"But they're already in a room Karin..." Another replied. The two immediately began to cry harder.

"Oh Masaki my beautiful queen and center of my world I love you soooo muuuuuch~" Isshin cried.

"Oh Isshin my handsome knight and bright star, I love youuuuuuuu~" Masaki replied. The gagging had returned tenfold.

"That's enough you two, if you don't stop I think they're going to vomit." Yoruichi laughed. Thankfully the two stopped and Ichigo didn't have to feel quite so weird. It was sweet and made him happy in an odd sense, but it was kind of a reminder of what a normal family was like. And why he couldn't have one.

"Well, I guess I'm next." Yoruichi sighed. "I am princess Yoruichi Shihoin and instructor at Shino Outreach, but I'd just like you to think of me as the latter." She said offering a seated bow. Ichigo bowed back, automatically slipping into the behavior he adopted around higher ranked colleagues of the spiritual world. Teachers and normal officials just didn't have that commanding presence that people of clear power like Yoruichi had, so it was a bit weird acting like this outside of the Old Worlds. Commander Ahmya made sure of that.

"I'm guessing the Shino Outreach is actually a front for something supernatural?" Ichigo asked. Yoruichi grinned slyly.

"Of course... We work with spiritually aware humans, fullbringers, and shinigami trainees all the time. If we were meeting under different circumstances you would likely be taken into one of our programs." Yoruichi said. Next was Rukia, which was odd since she was sitting as far away from Renji as she could get. Ichigo had assumed they were friends since she was a contact in Renji's phone...

"I am Rukia Kuchiki, Karakura's newest local shinigami." Rukia said with a reserved nod.

"I remember, miss trigger-happy..." Ichigo said.

"And what does that mean?!" She asked, slightly offended. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Nothing, just that I remember you since you looked ready to stab me the moment you saw me." Ichigo said. Rukia scoffed.

"Well excuse me for being wary of an unknown  _hybrid_  standing over another shinigami's body!" Rukia retorted. Ichigo immediately bristled.

"Oh yeah 'cause mixed mutts like me are just violent dangers to society, not like I was actually just trying to fucking  _help_  you or anything as wild as that!" Ichigo spat. He had met this same stupid fucking reaction countless times and he was absolutely sick of it. He had to deal with these entitled shitheads every night in the Old Worlds looking at him like a freak, calling him nature's sin, unable and unwilling to trust him completely.

"Oh that's not -" Rukia's angry reply was cut off by Kisuke waving his hands.

"Okay okay, that's quite enough! Let's just move on." Kisuke said. Ichigo and Rukia looked away, Rukia grumbling and Ichigo setting his jaw. Turning to the next person, Ichigo took a calming breath and waited for Chad to speak his turn. At least this one didn't seem like an asshole.

"We didn't exactly meet, but I'm Chad." Chad said. Hmm. Short and simple, like it should be.

"Nice to meet you, you probably already know enough." Ichigo said. The two just kind of nodded silently, both satisfied with the introductions. Orihime looked at the two for a moment, waiting.

"...That's it?" Orihime asked. Ichigo and Chad looked at each other.

"Yeah, not much to say really." Ichigo said and Chad nodded. Uryu huffed.

"Well you two are just peas in a pod." He said.

"Yeah yeah, hey Uryu, uh next please." Ichigo said looking to Orihime.

"Wha - you don't just get to skip me!" Uryu spluttered. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I already know you Uryu, only new thing is that apparently you're a quincy. So pass." Ichigo said. Uryu looked like he was about to give Ichigo an earful, but Orihime quickly stepped in.

"Okay well you already know about me and Renji so why don't we just end things there? We have a lot of things to go over!" She said.

"...Indeed." Uryu huffed pushing up his glasses. Kisuke cleared his throat.

"Yes. I probably should have asked you this earlier, but how are you feeling?" Kisuke asked, slowly fanning himself with a fan seemingly produced from thin air. Ichigo scratched his head.

"Uh, fine? My chest doesn't really hurt unless I touch it and I can breath pretty clearly... I mean other than that everything is pretty normal. And um, thank you, whatever you did to help me." Ichigo said, not really wanting to make eye contact but still wanting to convey his gratitude. He still felt there was some sure catch here, but he couldn't tell what yet. Kisuke beamed.

"Wonderful! But I do have to give a large amount of credit to your hollow, Shiro." Kisuke said. Ichigo jerked at that, heart skipping a beat. How the hell did he know Shiro? Did he mess with his inner world?! Did he do something?! Seeing Ichigo's clear panic and distrust, Kisuke rushed to finish his explanation.

"He and I made a deal of sorts after he took control of your body, I never purposefully brought him out. Apparently he didn't want me even looking at any part of your body that didn't have to do with your illness, much less doing tests. He even broke my x-ray machine..." Kisuke pouted. Ichigo snorted.

"Just be glad he didn't break _you_." Ichigo said. He thought he saw the man sweating a little beneath his hat, but he was quick to keep going.

"Yes, Shiro was very protective over you which is why he refused to let me work on you unless I only did what I had to to treat the illness. I agreed and he began working with me as well. I would work on you for a bit, testing and using different treatments until you began to falter and then Shiro would step in and bring you into a hollowfied state so you could heal and reset. It turned out to be far more effective than even I had hoped and we were able to stabilize you within days. From there you entered a coma for three weeks, only waking when Shiro felt I needed an update." Kisuke said. Ichigo had to admit he was impressed. Not only for someone to successfully navigate an encounter with Shiro, but to actually find a way to treat the Black Rot?

"Wow, you really had that all together..." Ichigo said. Rukia snorted into her tea.

"He had things  _very_  together for those three weeks. If you don't count the time you nearly escaped." Rukia said. Kisuke coughed and fanned himself harder.

"I did? I'm assuming no one really got hurt though." Ichigo said taking careful note of everyone.

"Oh you're assuming? I would have expected you to be more upset about having been a raging hollow on the loose." Rukia said with a raised eyebrow. Ichigo shot the infuriating shinigami a withering glare. He could tell getting along with her was going to be difficult.

"I'm only 'raging' when some idiot tries to screw with me or actually presents a threat because I know myself well enough to trust that I wouldn't hurt any innocents. I know that even as a hollow I would run rather than hurt somebody." Ichigo said. What he said seemed to be true even to them, because Rukia remained a frustrated quiet.

"Well unfortunately several idiots tried to screw with you, but you did still run." Yoruichi snickered. Everyone but Masaki and Isshin seemed to look away in apparent embarrassment.

"Aherm, well unfortunately a lot more than just that happened while you were out. I'm sure you have plenty of questions and will have even more, but spare us some patience. What would you like to know first?" Kisuke asked. Ichigo thought for a moment about the millions of questions he had before choosing a good starting place.

"Actually, I'd like to know what happened before I returned to Karakura. You already said that all the Nejireta are dead, so that's not exactly a threat. But how? Orihime explained a little about her powers and the academy, but what exactly happened? How did you find out about the Nejireta? How did you know about me?" Ichigo asked. Kisuke hummed.

"Well, that certainly is a good starting place... I should start by telling you that about fifteen years and nine months ago I picked up on a mysterious and untraceable reiatsu. I eventually found a way to sort of keep track of the reiatsu based on it's affects in Karakura town, specifically Karakura High. A group of students there appeared to be growing spiritually thanks to the presence of this mystery reiatsu and I kept an eye on them. Low and behold, not long after I received a massive spike in the mystery reiatsu one night, I also found out that the same group of students were there that night in that location... the Gemischt Quincy Acadamy." Kisuke said. Ichigo's eyes widened.

"You were tracking  _me_..." Ichigo said. Kisuke nodded.

"Most definitely. But I didn't know it at the time because Orihime, Chad, and the rest of the students had their memories wiped that night. The files at the academy were also mysteriously tampered with upon a little investigating by yours truly and Yoruichi. Apparently the signatures were erased, but we assumed that was to cover up the creature - the thing you keep calling 'Nejireta.' Two days after your death Orihime and Chad meet Rukia, who was sent to check up on them from an anonymous tip from me. This just so happens to be the day when a hollow Orihime knew in life decides to attack her, drawing out a fight from her, Rukia, and Chad. Orihime and Chad inevitably develop powers from the encounter, which leads Yoruichi to go to them and conveniently suggest that they meet with me." Kisuke said. Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

"So you've just been moving everybody around like pawns." Ichigo said in a low voice. He knew plenty of people who manipulated and used others like this man was doing, and he couldn't say he approved. Looking at Kisuke now gave Ichigo a dark feeling, and it must have showed because Kisuke quickly put down his fan with a serious look on his face.

"I may influence people into falling in line with my plans, but I do not consider them  _pawns._  I will not lie and say that I didn't bring Orihime and Chad to me because I was after the information they had, but I would not have done it if I didn't think they would be in danger if I didn't. I only kept them in the dark to keep them safe from the people who had done this. I am just as interested in helping them grow into their powers under my protection." Kisuke said. Ichigo looked to Chad and Orihime for a reaction.

"It's true Ichigo. As soon as we were able to handle the information, Kisuke told us the truth. He could have just forced us to retrieve our memories and left us after that, but he waited until we could safely remember and helped keep us safe the entire time. I know it's upsetting to be used like that, but Kisuke wasn't doing it for himself, so we forgave him. We trust him." Orihime explained. Ichigo looked around and saw that everyone seemed to be in agreement.

"...Alright." Ichigo said. He would neither condemn nor praise Kisuke, but he was not exactly in his favor and Kisuke seemed to know it.

"But continuing on... You already know partially what happened next, but Yuzu was attacked by one of those creatures. This happened the night that Chad, Orihime, Rukia, and Yoruichi were all over for a sleepover, so we all headed over when I got the call from Isshin." Kisuke said.

"Kisuke helped Masaki and I out a long time ago when we were facing persecution for something that wasn't our fault, so we've known each other a long time. He's kept us safe from the gotei and the Lichtreich for many years now, so we turn to him for things like this." Isshin interjected with a smile. Kisuke grinned.

"Yes, the Kurosakis and I have managed some wonderful trouble over the years, so how could I say no to such friends? And imagine my surprise when Yoruichi finds the corpse of a creature that supposedly came from the same place your signature came from! At this point I was beginning to put together the rogue hollow Rukia was hunting with the same hollow that had went on a feeding spree in Hueco Mundo and escaped to the Soul Society, but I did not know that you had died yet or that you were at the academy. But while I didn't know, it seems that somebody else did..." Kisuke said looking at Uryu pointedly. Uryu cleared his throat almost sheepishly as Ichigo just looked between the two in confusion.

"Uryu? How the hell did you know?" Ichigo asked.

"I may or may not have accidentally unearthed a secret quincy cult in Karakura town by dropping off a family tree at the academy..." Uryu said pushing up his glasses. Ichigo's heart sank. He only knew one quincy cult, but they weren't supposed to be in this world.

"Do the words  _Quincies sind die heiligen Krieger und Richter dieser Welt, und unser Recht ist göttlich_  mean anything to you by chance?" Ichigo asked slowly. Uryu paled and Ichigo rubbed his face swearing silently.

"How did you know that?" Uryu stammered. Ichigo shook his head.

"I think you'd better discuss how  _you_  know them. Please,  _please_  tell me you didn't look at anything of their's." Ichigo groaned. Uryu pushed up his glasses and Ichigo swore again. That was a sure sign he did.

"...I accidentally broke the lock on one of Mrs. Daan's drawers and found your beanie. I saw the orange hair and the blood and put two and two together. I kept looking and found a file full of people, including myself, my father, my mother, you, your mother, and Masaki. My mother's file was labelled as executed. After that I knew something was wrong, so I took pictures of everything and put it all back the way it was. But I didn't stop there. I looked at the papers that Mrs. Daan had requested from my father and found out that it was a quincy family tree. Your family was on it Ichigo." Uryu said. Masaki and Isshin were watching him now.

"Your grandmother was Masaki's aunt, which makes you related not only to Masaki and the twins, but me. Technically you're a first cousin once removed, but it's easier and better to just say that Masaki and Isshin are your aunt and uncle. Karin, Yuzu, and I are all your cousins as well." Uryu said. Cousins? He had family other than Lena? Why had she never told him about them? Ichigo just stared at him, shocked. It took him a moment to catch up, but when he did he had no idea where to begin.

"Wha -, I, really? I mean, I always knew that I was part quincy, but I assumed that had been passed on from Lena's parents because she didn't have powers and I'd heard of it happening before. Why did Lena never tell me - wait, no... Lena always talked about this crazy shit when she got, uh, sick... about her old friends and why I was around. I had always suspected she had gotten into cult stuff or something, but, but... I never imagined... Fuck..." Ichigo whispered.

It all made sense now, why the hell had he never figured it out before?! Ebner and the rest of _them_  had always acted like they were the ones to make him, like he owed them his life but he'd always thought it was just a product of their sick entitlement. They had told him and teased him about how he was just like them, how he was made to serve them but he didn't think they meant literally! He had always wondered how they managed to bring him to the Old Worlds that first night, but now he knew. Now he knew why his powers had never worked when he was in this world, as if a seal had been placed on him. Now he knew why his own mother hated him so much.

"They made me, didn't they? The Gottlich had always wanted the perfect weapon, so they made the best one they could think of - a hybrid. They used Lena as a host and when I didn't turn out right they abandoned her. But now they know that I am useful, and they want me back. That's why I'm really here, isn't it?" Ichigo asked Kisuke. Kisuke sighed and gave him a long look that Ichigo didn't understand.

"You figured that out faster than you should have, but if what I think about you is true then it makes sense." Kisuke said. He continued on before Ichigo could ask what he meant. "Yes, you are here mainly because of that. As soon as we figured out that you were not only in Mayuri's lab, but in danger of being taken back by this 'Gottlich,' we rushed to find a way to get you back, hence the call to Renji. But I need you to understand this Ichigo,  _you are not a weapon_. You are here as my patient and as Masaki and Isshin's nephew."

Ichigo nodded, but he knew it was a lie. Kisuke was a smart man, a genius even, but he didn't know what Ichigo knew. He didn't know what Ichigo had done, what war he was fighting, how he had been used... And he never would. He was catching on to what was really going on around here, but Ichigo would not tell him the full deal. The fact that he at least wanted to project that he thought Ichigo was actually here because of his medical needs and family was touching in a way that made Ichigo severely uncomfortable. It was so tempting to think of himself as a nephew. He wanted it in a way that hurt more than he expected, but he couldn't. He just wasn't... He couldn't lie to himself like this, he had to be better than that. They counted on him to keep fighting, and he couldn't afford to let himself become disillusioned with these ideas of family. Besides, once they found out just who he was and what he was, they wouldn't want him. They wouldn't even be able to look at him.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way, there is more." Kisuke said nodding to Uryu. A little perturbed, but still maintaining his usual calm, Uryu started again.

"I went back to the academy to investigate, which I now know was not the greatest idea..." Renji snorted. "But I got stuck in Mrs. Daan's classroom in the middle of one of their meetings. I managed to hide and listened in on everything they said. I found out about you and how you were a hybrid as well as that the Kurosakis and your mother were being searched for by their members. They were looking for Lena to, well, kill her most likely, and do the same to Masaki if she knew anything about you. Apparently one of their members had accidentally let one of those creatures loose at the academy, so they had to move their plans up. They were planning on taking you from Mayuri's lab, and they already succeeded in stealing your human body." Uryu said. Ichigo jolted in surprise at those words.

"They have my body?! How?! Shouldn't I have been buried by now?" Ichigo asked. He had no idea what this meant for him, but the fact that his body was with the enemy sent all kinds of panic through him. It was Isshin's turn now to speak.

"Yes, but we're assuming they tempered with that too. Your autopsy date kept getting moved back, and your body was keeping surprisingly well, which uh, actually makes sense now... But either way I was assigned to perform the autopsy with Uryu's father which apparently threw them off, because not long after your body went missing." Isshin said.

"This actually happened when Uryu was trying to figure out whether or not Isshin and I knew about you, so I ended up going to Lena to tell her the news and catch up with her. Unfortunately I was still under the impression that she was just an innocent grieving mother, so I was a little off my game when she tried to kill me." Masaki said casually. Ichigo blanched.

"When she what?! Lena tried to kill you?! But, but, no! I know that Lena has issues - better than anybody else - but why would she try to kill you?!" Ichigo exclaimed, horrified. There had to be some explanation, Lena only ever hurt him, and that was perfectly justified! Masaki shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, but Lena fought me because she wanted to keep her secret and still be useful to the Gottlich. There are a lot of things that make people snap, but, I think Lena had reached that point a long time ago and if she was with these people knowing what they were going to do from the beginning... I'm just sorry Ichigo." Masaki said. Ichigo swallowed. He could make a lot of judgements about his mother, and his gut reaction was to just scream at Masaki for lying to him, but she wasn't lying. Lena had done those things, it was just her reasons that he didn't want to believe. But he couldn't debate this now, he just needed information so he could take care of all of this. So he shoved down all the disbelief, anger, disgust, and fear for another time. He would deal with it later, he would...

"I am too. What happened next?" Ichigo asked tersely, clearly moving on from the subject. Masaki shifted, but thankfully didn't try to push it.

"Nothing much, we still weren't able to put all the pieces together until the day of the attack. Yoruichi was able to get us some of Kisuke's early barriers to keep us safe, but Orihime and Chad were already on their way to school and all communications were down. They were attacked by a group of those, uh, Nejireta things, but being confronted like that brought back all the memories that had supposedly been erased. Lucky for them, Uryu came to the rescue!" Masaki said. Uryu pushed up his glasses, a habit that was making him way too easy to read to Ichigo.

"It was nothing really, even a child could track them down from the way they were throwing their reiatsu around." Uryu snorted. "I went with them to the shop and we all exchanged information, quickly realizing that this attack was just a distraction to get you back while the shinigami were busy trying to open up the three worlds again. We would have been able to prevent this entire thing from happening though if  _someone_  hadn't foolishly screwed up Kisuke's equipment." Uryu snidely said with a glance at Rukia. Rukia immediately bristled, slightly red.

"I already said that was an accident and apologized, and it's not like you don't make mistakes like sneaking into a cult with no knowledge, weapons, or backup like a, like a naiive fool!" Rukia fumed.

"Naiive?! You were the one gossiping on the phone for hours about the weather all the while you were shutting off alarms!" Uryu snapped. Rukia looked like she was going to strangle the infuriating prick (Ichigo's thoughts, but hey, maybe the two would take each other out and he would just get to watch) when Renji interrupted.

"Whoah whoah, what are you talking about? You never told me anything about accidentally - what? Turning something off?" Renji asked Rukia. Rukia turned even redder and looked like she was about to bite his head off too, but Kisuke stopped them.

"Rukia made the simple mistake of resting her arms on the keyboard for a monitor I made that would track and alert us of any creatures and that's all it was; a mistake. The alarms were turned off and most of the data ended up deleted as it came in, but I had made a back up processor that kept everything as a fail safe. Rukia already apologized and all has been forgiven, so why don't we stop pointing fingers and go back to enlightening Ichigo-kun." Kisuke said. Ichigo frowned at the rather friendly honorifics, but it seemed to placate the other two as both huffed and looked away.

"Well aren't you two just poster-child friends." Ichigo scoffed. Orihime giggled.

"Actually they are, well maybe not poster-child, but that's just how everyone is! We've all become friends after training together for so long." She said.

"Oh." Ichigo said somewhat dumbly.

The closest to friends he'd ever had were Mari (except he was more of a mentor, and he was dead), Dosch (also dead), Tally (very dead), Shiva May, Juji, Mochira, Sekkiga and Johannes. Except Johannes did try to kill him several times... Point is he wouldn't really know and the idea that friends fighting like that was normal kind of threw him off. Sure, he saw how other people interacted and it was always being nice to one another that was a staple of friendship, but he didn't get to have relationships like that. He was terrible at figuring out when people were being friendly or actually hurting him, so most times he just considered the two to be the same thing.

**_Wow, it's almost as if everyone treats you like shit in this life._ **

_Shiro? Have you been listening this entire time?_  Ichigo asked, a little panicked. Most times he could regulate what his zanpakuto heard (inner thoughts as well), but he hadn't even thought to do that when he was here. In the Old Worlds it was just habit, and they were sleeping for too much of it anyways.

**_...No. I was checking on Ossan when you woke up, so you might have to fill me in on some stuff._ **

_Okay, are you alright?_

**_I'm fine dumbass._ **

_Alright... you just seem a little upset with me. Is this because I didn't include you in my list of friends?_  Ichigo joked.

 ** _Those weren't friends!_  **Shiro snarled.  ** _Dosch and Tally were the only souls on that damn list who didn't hit you, yell at you, play fucked up mind games, call you horrible things, or, or, or treat you like shit!_** He spluttered ** _. - And that's because they died before they could lose their fucking minds like everybody else!_**

_What the hell Shiro?! Wh - you yell at me, and beat me up and say horrible things about me all the time and you're still my friend! You treat me like they do and we're friends, better even since you're apart of me!_

_**They did all those things to you because they wanted to hurt you, because it was entertaining to them and they enjoyed it! When I get physical with you it's to train you and keep you strong, and because I thought that was just how we were, you know! Dickin' around and fighting all the time 'cause you and I both know how fuckin' fun a good fight is! But a fight is when two people beat the shit out of each other, not when one person just beats the other to a pulp!** _

_So? You act like I couldn't have stopped them when you know I could! I just knew not to!_

**_Well that's another thing, you don't fight back unless I tell you to, you just accept whatever blow I give!_ **

_Do you want me to fight back? If you want to fight all you have to do is just say so!_

**_No! No - you don't get get it! You shouldn't let someone hurt you just because they want to!_ **

_Of course I know that, do you think I'm a_ complete _moron?! I don't just let enemies cut me when they want to!_  Ichigo snorted.

**_Then why do you let me do it? Why do you let me hurt you when I want to? Fight back!_ **

_Why would I do that? You're my friend, however much I'm not yours on that level, so I can't!_

**_Friends don't get to hurt you just because they're your friend! Fight back! It doesn't matter how much you care about somebody, how much you love them you don't just let them hurt you! You fight back!_ **

Ichigo could tell Shiro was upset, but now he was really starting make him upset as well. What the hell was he getting at? Didn't understand that he just couldn't? When things got rough with Lena he _never_  hit back, he couldn't because for christ's sake she was his mother. He deserved it too, and she had every right because she was his mother. She was the parent and he was the child, and he  _loved_  her. For Shiro to just flip out about all this just reminded him of how much the whole thing was his fault. He was able fight back, he could defend himself so that clearly made it his fault. But he wouldn't, so that was him choosing not to and he would always choose not to so in that way he couldn't. He had the power to make it stop at any time, he knew that despite how powerless he felt. It was his fault, but he couldn't. It was his fault that he couldn't.

_I won't, I can't! Don't you understand that?!_

**_No! I don't understand! I don't understand how somebody could let somebody else hurt them so bad for so long!_**  That really struck a nerve and Ichigo decided to just end this stupid argument before he got too upset and revealed something.

_Because maybe that person deserves it! Because maybe they're not meant to fight back! Because maybe they love that person and they don't want to hurt them and fear is a thing that exists! When you love someone you don't hurt them back! Love. Hurts._

**_NO IT DOESN'T!_**  Shiro screamed. Ichigo clutched his head from the sheer volume of the scream, alarming the people around him.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried. Ichigo waved a hand, gritting his teeth as the pain faded.

"I'm okay, I'm fine, Shiro just woke up and he's uh... grumpy." Ichigo explained with a slight hiss. Grumpy didn't even begin to cover it, Shiro was acting like a massive brat freaking out over everything.

"Are you sure it's just your zanpakuto?" Kisuke asked as everyone began to settle slightly. Ichigo nodded.

"Yeah, he just gets cranky and he can be really,  _really_  loud." Ichigo sighed. Kisuke winced.

 ** _Screw you._**  Shiro growled.

"Yes, I noticed..." He said.

"Well while you were dealing with that hollow, we were about to bring you up to speed on what happened after you passed out." Uryu said.

"You said you already killed all the scouts, so I'm guessing you all just told a bunch of lies and kidnapped Renji." Ichigo said rubbing his temple. Yoruichi laughed.

"A rather simple way of explaining what we did, but essentially that is what happened. I took you and Renji back to the shop with Kisuke while Rukia and the others finished with the makeshift garganta. Masaki and Isshin went back home to hide while the shinigami sent their reinforcements to Karakura town. They still have no idea what happened other than a pack of creatures managed to infiltrate the World of the Living, so we were able to convince them fairly well of the necessary events here." Yoruichi explained.

"Yeah, Rukia and I are here supposedly resting and gathering reports." Renji said.

"Okay I get that, but aren't you supposed to be in the Soul Society?" Ichigo asked.

"Normally, but with how crazy things got the gotei stationed a whole bunch of shinigami in Karakura to investigate and make sure everything is safe. There were even a couple of captains here in the first week, but nothing's happened so they left. Rukia and I have been covering for everyone these three weeks." Renji said.

"Damn, you really got roped in huh?" Ichigo smirked. Renji just rubbed his face.

"Do you have any idea how it feels to find out Karakura is under attack, have to betray a captain in order to help a fugitive, get dragged through the place between reality, kidnapped  _and then told that the fugitive you rescued is actually a fifteen-year old kid who's a hybrid made by a secret quincy cult summoning creatures from another world_?" He groaned. "And they told me all that as soon as I woke up."

"Welcome to Karakura." Everyone chorused.

"It's too bad things didn't end there though." Kisuke sighed. "While we were ensuring Renji could stay here with us and help cover, the Lichtreich were making a research team with the gotei. Because the gotei's team is made up of Mayuri's entire research department, plus captains Aizen and Unohana their base of operations will be in the Soul Society. The Lichtreich team will have access to not only the gotei, but all the figures within the Gotei 13. Can you guess who that team is made up of?" Ichigo groaned.

"Oh gods, now the Gottlich can do whatever the hell they want here  _and_  in the Soul Society." He said.  _Shit._

"Yup. We're fairly screwed on this, but to be fair it probably would have taken forever for the Lichtreich to investigate whatever claims we made. The only real evidence we have is the pictures Uryu took, but that's not enough to convict them of any crimes. The best we can do now is to prevent them from committing any more while we gather as much proof as we can." Yoruichi said. Ichigo snorted.

"Oh yeah, in the two seconds before the Gottlich gets into the Royal Realm and rains hellfire on this world." Ichigo said bitterly. Kisuke looked at him.

"Why do you say that?" Kisuke asked. Ichigo clamped his mouth shut. Now he had done it, but they had to know that he knew more than them. Kisuke was smart. Too smart.

"It's okay Ichigo, I already guessed as much. You see, when I said that I had been tracking a signature - the one that turned out to be yours - for fifteen years, it was really more of a timeline. Four years after I felt the first signature and nothing more, my sensors picked up a powerful spike in reiatsu. After that the signatures were frequent, every night in fact. Four more years passed until I picked up on another spike as powerful as the first one, but this time the signatures disappeared completely for three years. Not a single blip. Almost as if the source had left... Either way, at the end of those three years there was a third spike five times stronger than the first two." Kisuke said. Ichigo remained silent. He could feel Shiro listening as well, in case anything was revealed to Kisuke. And to him.

"After I learned that you were my mystery signature, I began pulling as many records of you as I could. I originally was looking for your medical history, but there was disturbingly little. What I did find however, was in your police case several falsified records of attending another school in Tokyo while you went to live with your father for three years. Despite you not having a father in Tokyo. Or a father." Kisuke said. Ichigo was sweating. He knew too much already, but wouldn't he have had to tell him as much already? They needed to know about the Old Worlds, and the Thousand-Year Blood War. But they didn't need to know about what happened those three years. No one did.

**_No one?_ **

Ichigo didn't bother to answer.

"There were also school records, of a middle school councilor's report on a claim you made about being taken away by monsters during that time. Oddly enough, comparing those records with my timeline shows a few places that line up a little too well. Reading them together, we get an odd sequence of events. A signature that built for nine months, the same amount of time for pregnancy, before I felt it's release. Your birth, so the next signature was when you were four years old. Most seals only work for five years, but they would last less on a more powerful being. Signatures continued to read until you were eight years old, when you disappeared until you were eleven. When you left this world." Kisuke said. Ichigo was completely still now, as was everyone else. Kisuke had misinterpreted the signature from when he was four, the first time he had been pulled to the Old Worlds for him growing out of one of his seals, which did admittedly make more sense. But he knew the rest.

"But if you left this world, that meant there had to be somewhere else for you to go. Well, we already know where thanks to that Nejireta you killed. I was able to study it and found that it contained the same signature as you, which meant it came from the same place as you. I was also aware that it had made a path using the Royal Realm, and that certainly explains how you know what that place is. So you know I have to ask, but where did you go?" Kisuke asked. Ichigo swallowed.

"There isn't really a name for it... But most just call it the Old Worlds. There are really only two functioning realms, but they don't have names." Ichigo lied. It was better this way. This, he could work with.

"I see. Do you not count the Royal Realm?" Kisuke asked. Ichigo frowned as if thinking to buy himself time. If he didn't spin this the right way, he would end up knowing everything. He had to explain the situation, but he couldn't give away what was going on.

"Well it doesn't really make sense to... The Royal Realm belongs to this world, it's more of a bridge in the Old Worlds to get back here. Time exists on a different plane there, so we can't go there anymore. It's stable there, but in the other realms everything's pretty much gone to shit. I never did learn why or how, but I do know that those realms are supposed to exist outside of time. Kind of preserved..." Ichigo said.

"Fascinating... But weren't you there for three years? I would assume that would be more than enough time to figure it out." Kisuke said. Ichigo shook his head.

"No, I wasn't trusted with information by the people there. I think you can guess from my scars, but there was one hell of a war going on there, and I was supposed to be a weapon. They couldn't tell me anything that I didn't absolutely have to know for fear that the Gottlich would find me and torture me until I revealed everything to them. Beyond that, they just didn't trust me. So many had grown up there in the war, but I was an outsider. As well as a hybrid." Ichigo said. Those parts were true, but he wasn't as stupid and ignorant as he hoped Kisuke would assume he was.

"I was too busy trying to fight and survive to really care, and there was a point where I began to believe I was crazy." Ichigo added. Kisuke looked like he knew Ichigo was still being a little withholding, but thank the gods he really seemed to believe him.

"I understand, you don't have to explain yourself. I wouldn't expect most adults to even be able to survive such a place, if the Nejireta are any indication of what it was like. But what you say does fit with the theory I had about these Old Worlds. Do you know what's in the Royal Realm?" Kisuke asked. Ichigo shrugged.

"I've never been there, but I did actually hear from a kid in the Soul Society that there was a palace with a special warning and set of rules." Ichigo said. Kisuke smiled slightly.

"Not wrong, but that severely downplays the significance of those warnings and rules, Shi no Meirei and Seikatsu Shiki respectively. You see, the Royal Realm contains relics from all three races as well as a specific spot that indicates and incredibly powerful being once existed. It was assumed that this being was responsible for the balance of the three worlds and that some terrible disaster had killed the civilizations it ruled over... But now I suspect that the civilizations did not live in that realm, but two others. Hearing your side, I believe that the Old Worlds were originally attached to the Royal Realm, in a different host world." Kisuke said.

"But Kisuke, that would mean -" Kisuke cut Yoruichi off with a nod.

"That shinigami, quincies, and arrancar once existed in the Old Worlds. But think about it, the Shi No Meirei is more than just a warning, it seems to be a detailed narrative about the downfall of an entire world. The figures and ideas represented in that narrative exactly mirror our world, as if the creators already knew of us. We have long since speculated that the events of Shi No Meirei really did happen, but what if they happened to us?" Kisuke was speaking faster now, losing the almost casual drawl he had in this revelation. Ichigo did nothing to stop him, only hoping that his conclusion was different than the real thing.

"What if the Old Worlds were where shinigami, quincies, arrancars, and humans were originally from? What if a war began between the races that threw off the balance, that killed the being that once ruled from the Royal Realm? What if this sent the Old Worlds into a state of destruction and chaos, the death of a world? What if they found a way to another world in the hopes of escaping their dying one and starting over again... What if they sent their children there with a warning and set of rules to pass down so that the future generations never made the same mistake that they did again... But not all were willing to stop fighting, so the war raged on. They cut off the path from the Royal Realm so that no one could escape and bring war here. Broken and falling apart, the Old Worlds severed from time and space into a perfectly preserved bubble of destruction." Kisuke said. It was silent for a moment as everyone sat in shock.

"Oh my god..." Masaki whispered.

"I thought you said you weren't going to upturn our reality..." Isshin said weakly. Kisuke didn't bother to reply, still deep in thought.

**_Is that what's really going on here? I thought we just did some wacky time travel shit and that's why this place is like an advanced Old Worlds._ **

_No, Kisuke's right about the whole two worlds thing. But he's wrong about finding another world. You know that scientist I told you about - the one that had a name for the Empty? He made a weapon a long time ago that was so powerful he tried to destroy it for fear of anyone ever using it, but was unable to. The man who did end up using it was sealed away until the Thousand-Year Blood War where he was allowed to use the weapon against The Father. But it wasn't enough, and in the end the weapon was taken from him by somebody stronger and used with a massive amount of reiatsu to create this world. I still don't know who or what in the world was powerful enough to even create an entire world, but I do know that many powerful souls were sacrificed to make that happen._

**_Holy shit, that explains why the Old Worlds are falling apart like that... What the fuck kind of war did you get us into?!_ **

_You're really questioning this now?_

"But if the Old Worlds are severed from ours, how do the Gottlich exist here? And how did the Nejireta and Ichigo travel between the two?" Yoruichi asked.

"Because it wasn't perfect." Ichigo sighed. "How hard would it be for the Gottlich to plant their own rules and warnings in the Royal Realm? You can't get to here from the Old Worlds the way things are now, but you can sure as hell get to the Old Worlds from here if you know how. Unfortunately those bastards realized this and planned ahead, and now their minions here are probably trying to find a way to make it so that they can open up permanent paths." Ichigo said.

"They were experimenting with the Nejireta for a reason it seems... So why do they want to come here? We know they're fighting a war, but what for?" Kisuke asked. This one was actually pretty easy.

"To combine all planes of existence to eliminate death and fear. This is what their leader, a monster they call 'The Father' wants, but to do that they have to destroy everything. Most follow him because they just don't understand that The Father isn't creating a world without death, he's destroying our world. Of course death won't exist in his world, nothing will! In his world only the pure will remain, so that means killing every last arrancar, hollow, shinigmai, and human, and any quincy that don't follow him or aren't Echt." Ichigo growled.

"So then they want to bring him here?" Kisuke asked in a grim voice.

"Of course. Their king needs to consume more souls to have the power to make his new world and all his food left for here. That's why souls like me with so much power are so important to him, I'm practically a fuckin' all you can eat buffet, a battery really." Ichigo said.

"Okay so now we're not just dealing with a cult but a world-eating monster who wants to destroy everything. Great." Renji sighed, rubbing his face.

"Relax Renji, if the Gottlich were able to bring The Father here then they would have done it a long time ago. It's one thing to bring the half-dead twisted remains of a soul through the Empty and quite another to bring an army and the sealed shadow of a once great king. All that remains of that monster is the scattered bits of reiatsu he planted in an attempt to resurrect himself in every known future. If they give those shadows of his former self enough souls and power, he might be able to resurrect himself, so we fight to make sure that never happens." Ichigo said. He neglected to mention the part about having fought The Father's shadows before and possibly being the power meant to resurrect him, but that was all in due time.

"I'm assuming even a shadow of the king is more powerful than most warriors here, but why haven't you just killed his shadows in all these centuries? If you destroy what's left, there will be nothing for them to resurrect him with." Kisuke said. Ichigo had a feeling he already knew the reason, but answered anyways.

"Because I said  _every_ known future, not just a few. Every time we kill one, that makes a new future with a new shadow to kill. The Old Worlds are dying and with them The Father will die, but they're just not doing it fast enough. If we can keep the Gottlich here from doing anything, then the Old Worlds will rot away from memory and time into nothing." Ichigo explained. Or they could just destroy the Old Worlds completely. But Ichigo already knew what that would mean for him, and these people, bless their foolish kindness, wouldn't approve.

"So we're less screwed?" Renji asked slowly. Uryu sighed.

"Do you not listen to anything that's been said? All we have to do is stop the Gottlich here and the problem will solve itself." Uryu said. Unfortunately he was right, so going back to the Old Worlds wasn't an option for Ichigo anymore. He had to stay here and deal with this new mess, there was no running away from what had happened here. That meant he had to find Lena, right? The Gottlich had to be tricking her somehow, and he had to help her.

"Then I suppose we need to find Lena first, so the Gottlich can't use her to track me. And if you were to just let me talk with her, I'm sure we could sort this - why are you looking at me like that?" Ichigo asked. Everyone had gone quiet and were giving him that same damn look people gave Lena whenever she spun lies about how sick she was, Masaki and Isshin sharing glances.

"Ah, Orihime and Chad, would you mind taking Uryu, Rukia, Renji out for some privacy?" Masaki asked. The two nodded, seemingly understanding something Ichigo didn't and stood up to take the others with them. Rukia and Renji gave them curious glances as they left, but didn't question it.

"Wha - why is everyone leaving? Did something happen to Lena?" Ichigo asked as the door shut.

"About that... We already know where Lena is. The police found her and managed to take her into custody after she got into a fight of some sorts. The investigation was able to continue and Lena confessed to everything despite insisting that she's innocent. She's being convicted of child abuse." Masaki said.

Ichigo's mind stuttered to a stop. But, he... no - he left Lena with her roommates, he left her with food and money and people who would never know what she had done. He left so that she could live a better life away from all this shit, how did, how did this happen? But, she, she was - she didn't deserve to be convicted! She didn't do anything wrong!

**_Hitting your child is wrong._ Hurting _your child is wrong._**

Ichigo looked at Kisuke slowly, anger and shock sparking in his eyes.

"Did you tell Shiro?" Ichigo asked slowly. Asked, accused really. Kisuke looked at him but didn't answer. He knew.

"You told Shiro! How could you do that!?" Ichigo yelled.

_**Because you wouldn't! You just keep lying to us!** _

"Shiro needed to know so that he could stop you from going to Lena like we new you would want to. I know that that was not my story to tell and I am sorry, but -" Ichigo interrupted Kisuke getting up.

_**What, are you just gonna run from this too?!** _

"No, no I am not doing this right now!" Ichigo cried looking for the door. Everyone got up to stop Ichigo, but Kisuke stopped them as Ichigo flung open the door and ran.

"Let him go, he just needs some time. He knows he can't leave."

x

"They're lying Shiro! Lena wasn't abusive!" Ichigo yelled, slamming his fist against the ground.

_**What the fuck is wrong with you, of course she was! I remember that dream you had, the one where she was chasing you and you were fucking terrified! It wasn't real, but it smelled of memories. You know, I wouldn't have believed Kisuke if you hadn't told me yourself today. You said that you would let someone hurt you because "maybe that person deserves it! Because maybe they're not meant to fight back! Because maybe they love that person and they don't want to hurt them and fear is a thing that exists! When you love someone you don't hurt them back!"** _

"That's different -"

**_When he told me I thought there was no way, because you were you! I couldn't ever imagine that happening to you because you're fucking strong! That kind of stuff happened to other people, not you! I didn't understand how somebody could hurt you for so long because all you had to do was fight back! You would have told somebody, you would have done something! There were plenty of things you could have done! But then you started saying all that shit and I realized you wouldn't fight back! Even when he showed me pictures and reports, I just didn't believe it until you said all that... Why didn't you fight back Ichigo?! I just don't understand!_ **

"Because she's my mother Shiro! I love her! And love -"

**_DOESN'T HURT! Love doesn't hurt Ichigo! I have no idea what the hell love is because I'm not a stupid sappy motherfucker like you, but I know all about hate and sadistic violence and that's what was happening! Is love hate? No! So love shouldn't hurt! So when I talk about what I want to do to you mother for all those years I don't say I want to love her, I SAY I WANT TO RIP HER -_ **

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! DON'T YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT ABOUT HER AGAIN!" Ichigo screamed.

"I love her Shiro, and I know she does't love me back but that doesn't matter. You will never understand because you don't have parents, and  _you don't know what it was like._ " Ichigo breathed. Shiro was silent for a moment as Ichigo just sat shaking in his room.

_**You're right, I don't know what it was like. But I know a way that I can understand.** _

Ichigo doubled over in pain as he felt something in his inner world shift. Horrified, Ichigo realized what Shiro was trying to do.

 _STOP IT SHIRO! If you break the ice all of my memories come out!_  Ichigo screamed desparately trying to pull himself into his inner world. But the pain lancing through his head made it nearly impossible.

_**That's the plan you stubborn -** _

Massive pressure threw Ichigo onto his chest as a heavy presence overtook him and Shiro. The pain was gone, but now he felt himself becoming dangerously untethered.

 **ENOUGH!** A voice boomed.

_**Oh shit, is that -** _

_Ossan?_  Ichigo gasped.

* * *

 **Shi No Meirei**  - Dying Command

 **Seikatsu Shiki**  - Living Command

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health  
\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I realized I made a mistake in Chapter 8, Ichigo talks about Yhwach but he calls him by his real name which he isn't supposed to know. I already changed it to "The Father" but I thought I should just point out that Ichigo doesn't know that The Father and Yhwach are the same person since that was what I was sort of trying to set up there before I screwed up.  
> Yup. A big chunk of what's going on has been revealed, but I'm sure it's still very confusing. There are significant chunks missing and even Ichigo isn't aware of what exactly happened.  
> Ichigo's unfortunately right, Shiro just doesn't understand. Most people when they find out that someone close to them was being abused react with disbelief and will often outright go into denial. It is never the survivor's fault, especially between parent and child. Nothing you can ever do will ever make it okay for anyone to hurt you and there is nothing that excuses abusive behavior. There are reasons and explanations for why someone is an abuser (as there is for any way a person acts or who a person is), but never justifications or excuses. The fault lies with the abuser, not the survivor. It is not the child's job to save themself, but it is the parent or guardian's job to take care of them and protect them. Blaming the survivor and asking why they didn't do this or that or fight back just tells them "this is your fault. You did this to yourself." instead of comforting them and recognizing that the abuser was in the wrong. And that's even if anybody believes the survivor. The common reaction to the abuser is always "but they were always so nice! I never saw them do anything! They would never do that!" Now Shiro never knew Lena, but he doesn't understand that Ichigo couldn't stop Lena. That power difference between parent and child is completely foreign to Shiro, and most people still don't understand it. These situations are always a complex mix of factors. Fear of the abuser, of reactions, of rejection, powerlessness, shame, self-blame, and love. When someone hurts you that doesn't automatically make you stop loving them, and this can be hard to understand, that someone can still love the person that consistently hurts them. Often times the survivor still believes the abuser loves them, or even that the pain is just a sign of their love. Shiro was right though when he kept trying to tell Ichigo that love doesn't hurt.  
> I could talk forever on this, but I was just trying to explain why Shiro reacted the way he did. It seemed fitting for his character as well since he's a very "just punch them back!" kind of guy and tends to be very tough with Ichigo. I mean hell, he tried to consume Ichigo's soul when he wasn't being strong enough in his view. He counts a lot of very normal, very human things as weak, like friendship, love, empathy, and protecting people even though he's a complete hypocrite and does a lot of these things. He's friends with Ichigo (even if he never admits it), gets upset when Ichigo's upset, and very much wants to protect Ichigo. Just in violent ways. So he just needs to wrap his head around the whole thing and get his ass kicked by Ossan.
> 
> srw601 - I don't know if you still have this question since you posted your review on Chapter 11 and I don't know if you had actually read past that point and just happened to post the review there like Reaper sometimes does on Chapter 1 or not, but yes. I plan on ending this story with Ichigo getting all the love and affection that precious boy deserves! 'Cause goddamn has he been through enough already.  
> As always, thank you for all the feedback and feel free to tell me what you think!


	17. Chapter 16: Long Time No See

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

 

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Fanfiction.net: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Thoughts/Speech_

_**Shiro (Zangetsu)** _

**Ossan/Old Man (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 16: Long Time No See**

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

_Ossan what the hell is happening?! Ossan!_  Ichigo gritted out. He felt like he was going to throw up or something as he felt himself begin to settle. The same overwhelming feeling he got each night when he was pulled into the Other Worlds was finally starting to recede, but so was Ossan's presence.

_Shit!_

**_See this is what happens when you don't tell us anything!_  **Shiro spat.  ** _If you had just said "hey guess what I actually live somewhere else but every night those dickhead quincies drag me back here" then we could have figured out that Ossan was infected sooner!_**

_I didn't know what was happening and I didn't think it was an issue! And did you forget that after a certain point I thought I was just insane?_

**_Pretty hard to forget that brief stint! And why did you never tell us you thought that!?_ **

_You don't talk about your own sanity with hallucinations! I don't know if you noticed but I had pretty much given up at that point! I just did what I was told and did my damnedest to fight this war! Now shut up so I can find Ossan!_  Ichigo snapped.

**_Oh good luck with that, Ossan won't let you anywhere near him until you can safely fight this quincy bullshit!_ **

_And what if I am finding him to do that? I'm way healthier than I was before by miles, I feel better than I've ever felt, so maybe now's my best chance to fix whatever this is! Ossan was upset enough with us to come out of hiding to yell at us, so maybe that means that he's getting a better handle on things. I could help him!_

**_Are you insane?! He yelled at us because apparently going back into your little cage of memories was too much for him - which means he's unstable! He's been struggling while you slept, so I doubt he's any better now! And how the hell are you going to help him anyways, huh? That bitch Ahmya never let you so much as touch yer Quincy side, so would you even know how to get rid of that connection?_ **

_I could ask Ossan, he's literally the manifestation of my quincy powers so I have a feeling he would know._  Ichigo retorted.

**_Yeah well I don't know if you know this, but every time you tap into powers that you don't know anything about things get explode-y! You can't control your reiatsu for shit when you learn a new ability and we're not in a place you can just destroy! I doubt you'd like to blast that lil pastry puff Orihime and your sweet baby cousins into oblivion with the rest of this town! You're not in the Old Worlds!_ **

_..._

_You're right. I'm not. I'm in the shop of a shady genius with a secret training base._

x

"So can you all do it?" Ichigo asked. Everyone looked to be varying degrees of thoughtful and somber, except Renji who looked like he wanted to beat his head against the wall.

"We leave for like five minutes only to get called back to find out that now we have to help you rip out some - what? Foreign quincy power?" Renji groaned.

"Would you rather I just walk around with a ticking time bomb in my soul ready to disappear any moment?" Ichigo snorted.

"Well I wish you would have told me about this sooner, but if what you say is correct than there is a good chance you will be able to remove the connection on your own. I'm fairly certain the Gottlich were relying on you being unaware of the connection and did not account for the existence of this 'Ossan.'" Kisuke said. Ichigo stood up.

"Alright then let's go." He said.

"Now hold on there, eager-beaver, we still have to set up all the kido spells and barriers if you are going to do this. Out of curiosity, how powerful should we make these barriers?" Kisuke asked. Ichigo knew he was really asking "how powerful are you," but he figured there was more harm in not telling him.

"Powerful enough that I already wear several seals on my body, though right now I only have my base seal on." Ichigo said as he reached into his nose to flip down the septum piercing he had. It was a circular barbell ring so he could flip it up into his nose to hide it any time he needed to, which was handy since tattoo seals were the first thing people looked for. Only he and Ahmya knew how to remove it, so no one could force him to use his bankai against his will.

"You have a piercing?!" Orihime exclaimed. Ichigo wiggled it at her as she leaned closer.

"Yeah, I've had it ever since I joined up with the main army. You can't see it, but the metal is engraved with some serious binding and sealing spells that keep me at an acceptable fighting level, and because it's a piercing I can hide it so I don't have to worry about somebody forcing me to break it." Ichigo said.

"So you're saying that the power level you have right now, beating the Necromancer, blowing up Mayuri's own damn seals, escaping a captain and tearing a hole through worlds  _is just a fraction of it?!_ " Renji exclaimed. Ichigo shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. He knew he was a powerhouse, but it felt odd to have others actually act like it. He always fought people vastly more powerful than him, and he consistently felt powerless and weak, like it just wasn't enough. All he could ever think about was how to get more powerful, how he could improve and everyone else seemed to reflect that sentiment.

"You are just full of surprises, Ichigo... I have a feeling we'll need to use more than just Yoruichi's and my seals for this particular venture. Are you up to the challenge Orihime?" Kisuke asked. Orihime sat up when she heard her name.

"Oh! Uh, yes, I think so. But I can only summon so many shields, and it's really only enough to protect, well, a small group of people like us." Orihime said. Kisuke grinned.

"Exactly. The best way to keep an eye on Ichigo-kun while keeping us all safe is to wait behind the barriers with your shields, just in case something goes wrong." Kisuke said. Uryu crossed his arms.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea since Ichigo hasn't even bothered to learn about his quincy powers, let alone control them?" Uryu asked with a disdainful look. Ichigo gave him a hard glare.

"I wasn't allowed to, and Ossan agreed with them. I'd say I know more about the quincy power considering I fought your fucking _king_." Ichigo growled.

**_Doesn't mean he was right to restrict you, that coward._ **

_What are you talking about?_

**_Nothing. You'll see soon._ **

"Well we'll just have to see about that when you take care of a connection you didn't even notice in your own soul." Uryu shot back, bristling. Ichigo threw open the door, gesturing with a flourish for Uryu to leave.

"Then why doesn't his majesty help set up the barriers with his own barrier if it doth so please him to mingle with the peasants~" Ichigo mocked with a heavy aristocratic accent. Uryu just pushed his way past as the others began to get up with a huff.

"Only so you don't kill us all with your abysmal restraint and disgusting attitude,  _cousin_." Uryu threw back at him. He said that word like a curse. Ichigo would have kicked him but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder he flinched away from. He was surprised to see it was Chad as everyone filtered out of the room.

"Sorry..." Chad rumbled when he saw Ichigo's defensive stance. "But don't listen to Uryu, he doesn't mean most of what he says. I don't think he's very used to working with others outside of competition..." Chad said.

"Yeah!" Orihime piped up from behind the massive teenager. "Uryu doesn't really have any friends at school and he constantly talks about how he has to get good grades, so I think it's just hard for him to think of people as friends instead of rivals." Orihime said. Ichigo frowned.

"Fine. I know all that since the guy was supposed to be my frickin' tutor all through the beginning of high school, but that's not an excuse for acting like a little prick all the time. People like him just rub me the wrong way." Ichigo said.

"You coming Orihime?" Yoruichi called from the hall.

"Oh! Yes Yoruichi-san!" Orihime called back before giving a quick goodbye and running off. Ichigo and Chad continued to follow after the others.

"I didn't know you had a tutor, or that it was Uryu." Chad said. Ichigo kind of had to wonder why Chad was still bothering to talk to him, but the guy was nice and Ichigo didn't want to piss off everybody here.

"...Yeah, when you have to go into special classes for students behind in school, you get student tutors like Uryu who are at the top of their classes. None of the other tutors though helped me like they were supposed to, including Uryu. The first day there he told me that he wasn't going to waste his time trying to help me because a delinquent like me would never put in the time and effort to learn. So I told him I would be out of special classes by the end of the year, and I was. Not that it seemed to matter..." Ichigo said bitterly.

"He was wrong to do that, but I really think he regrets it now. I've only known Uryu for a while now, but I can tell that he's not the same person he was when you last saw him. I knew plenty of people who treated others like that, who assumed that I was a troublemaker and said similar things to me. I actually had to leave my previous school because of people like them." Chad said. This was the most Ichigo had heard him talk.

"I'm sorry to hear that... People can be real dicks." Ichigo said. Chad hummed.

"Uryu isn't like them though, as I said I would know. When we found out about you had school, he was actually really upset. He got angry and went off on the people gossiping about you and spreading rumors. He wanted us to be respectful." Chad said. Ichigo looked at Uryu striding coolly up ahead of them. He did?

"...I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me Chad." Ichigo said. Chad just nodded and continued to walk with him in a comfortable silence. That certainly didn't sound like Uryu, so maybe he really had changed? It wasn't like he had given him much of a chance... The guy was still acting like a prick, but Ichigo would give him a little more leniency. And if he was still a dick  _then_  he would shove his foot up his ass.

"The ladder to the training grounds is there." Chad said when they reached the group, pointing at a place in the floor Kisuke was lifting up.

"It's underground?" Ichigo asked. He honestly shouldn't be surprised at this point, he'd seen way weirder shit in his life.

As it turned out, the underground training ring was far larger than even Ichigo would expect. There were several dummies set up over the barren landscape, and Ichigo could see several places where the group had been training from the wrecked mountains and scorch marks. As pretty much everyone but Ichigo and Chad set up barriers, Ichigo just kind of awkwardly fell into place by Chad. It was incredible watching everyone working together, quincies, fullbringers (or whatever Orihime was) and shinigami all using their abilities in a strange blend as they worked together.

"Wow, you guys really have been training..." Ichigo breathed. It reminded him of Aldagar's army fighting, and that was a real compliment.

"Yeah, we've been training to work as a team as well as sparring with each other. You should train with us some time." Chad said. The invitation caught Ichigo off guard, but the faint hope he felt was met with reality.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea... I'm only used to learning through battle, so I don't exactly spar, even with my zanpakuto. Even if that wasn't the case, I was considered too dangerous to work in groups when fighting..." Ichigo said quietly. He hated to turn down Chad's offer, he wished he could tell him that he really did want to train with them.

"Why?" Chad asked.

_**'Cause everybody else is just weak trash.** _

"Because I fight commanders and uniquely powerful enemies, not soldiers, which means my power is all over the place. I've fought alongside my own commanders, but none of those fights ever turned out all that well. I just can't follow orders blindly during a fight, especially when I know I can protect more people fighting  _my_  way." Ichigo said.

"What is your way?" Chad asked. Ichigo hesitated.

"I, I don't really have a way I guess, I just try to draw the enemy to somewhere where others won't get hurt and end things as quickly as possible. That's why they would just send me off with solo missions, so I could fight without distractions and not break every single order directly." Ichigo said.

"Then it seems like you would be just fine training with us. We don't have commanders or leaders issuing out orders, just a group fighting together and relying on one another. But that's your choice. You can always train just one on one with us too." Chad said. Ichigo remained silent through the rest of the wait, but it was nice to have Chad's silent company.

"Alright Ichigo, why don't you step inside the barriers now." Yoruichi called. Ichigo was about to ask for his zanpakuto when Kisuke practically seemed to manifest Shiro's blade from his coat.

 _ **Imagine how surprised that shady bastard would be if you decided to call me normally!**  _Shiro snickered.

Ichigo took the blade and headed inside the shimmering barriers to a generous circle of empty space. He could feel the powerful buzz of the different interwoven techniques on his skin even if all he saw was the faint glowing patterns surrounding him. They might actually not need Orihime's shields... Shiro snorted. Once Ichigo and everyone was properly set up, Kisuke and Yoruichi stood out front with their palms facing him and activated the spells. Everything was a blinding mirage of light and colors for a moment, but as their chanting ceased the barriers became completely invisible.

"Good luck Ichigo!" Orihime called from behind a curious glowing triangle of energy. Chad gave him an encouraging thumbs up and Uryu crossed his arms.

"Yeah, don't kill us!" Renji hollered. Ichigo rolled his eyes and plopped down into jinzen.

"I'll do my best. Now shut up so I can concentrate already!" Ichigo hollered back. Stabbing Zangetsu into the ground in front of his crossed legs, Ichigo held on with one hand and closed his eyes.

x

Ichigo opened his eyes.

"Ooooh... This is, uh..." Ichigo trailed off.

" _ **Yeah, better but somehow worse.**_ " Shiro said beside him atop their skyscraper.

He could see the cracked and degrading remains of his skyscrapers peeking higher above the water than before as others rose only to fall and crash against one another. The dark water constantly churning and eating at his buildings was still just as violent as ever, but it no longer held the murky toxicity from when he was sick. He might actually be able to go swimming in it if it wasn't for the dark shapes waiting for him. The pounding rain still fell from the heavens, but it was no longer an icy cold that soaked him to his core. Billowing thunder and flashes of lightening still terrorized his mindscape from the darkened skies, but this was his world and for the first time in a long time he could feel the storm had lessened ever so slightly and that was one hell of an accomplishment.

Too bad the black tendrils of thousands of eyes had to go and ruin it.

" _ **The farther you try to follow them, the further you get away from your little ice palace of horrors and the darker it gets. And I don't mean dark like night, I mean dark like abyss. You know I can see in the dark, but I can't see shit in there, just those damn eyes watching me. I used to be able to sense Ossan from in that dark mass -**_ " Shiro said pointing to the heart of darkness consuming part of the sky. " ** _-but that shithead refused to get the stick out of his quincy ass and let me help him. Now it's gotten so bad I can't find him anymore! You'll probably be able to sense him better since you have a stronger connection, but I couldn't follow ya even if you didn't need to do this alone._** " Shiro said.

"Alright, I'd say wish me luck but I know you don't believe in that." Ichigo said. Shiro spit into the water. Charming.

" _ **'** **Course not, King like you don't need it when you're not being stupid. Uh, but in this case I might consider.**_ " Shiro said eyeing the wriggling mass of eyes staring into their very beings. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Don't go ape-shit crazy while I'm gone." Ichigo said leaping off the skyscraper in the direction of darkness.

" _ **Just so long as you promise to kick Ossan's withered old man ass for me when ya find him!**_ " Shiro called.

"Will do!" Ichigo tried to holler back, but his words were completely swallowed by the darkness.

The further he traveled, the darker it became just as Shiro said. Ichigo assumed he would just travel where it was darkest into the center, but eventually it became that he couldn't figure out which parts were darker. It didn't help that everywhere he moved these eyes followed him, watching him unblinkingly. It was a bit redundant to say he felt watched, but he really did. He recognized these eyes from The Father immediately, but it was the feeling he got that was so unsettling. Like walking straight into a trap, or a lion's den, he knew that he was walking in the shadow of another. It was eerily silent here, the constant cacophony of the storm raging in his inner world lost on this pit. Even his own breathing seemed impossibly loud as he turned in circles trying to find where to go. He would have called Ossan's name, but he dared not break the silence further.

The eyes followed his figure as he turned. He would get lost if he wasn't able to sense Ossan... A tiny spike of his second spirit came from behind him and he whirled around, holding onto it as best he could before he lost it. Lone blade at the ready, Ichigo proceeded through the heavy atmosphere of darkness and eyes casting out his senses for anything. But all he found was him. A shiver trailed down Ichigo's spine without his permission and he began to move faster. He knew that he was traveling up, up into the sky but it felt like he was falling down, falling into something sinister. This place felt like the exact opposite of the empty; there it felt like he was the only thing in existence, his whole being swallowed up and consumed into nothing whereas here... here he felt a single overwhelming presence of _something_. There was something not just here, but it  _was_  here and it wasn't consuming him, eating him up - it was invading him. He felt it when he breathed down his throat and nose into his lungs, and in his bones and muscles when he moved. It was in each pump of blood from his wildly beating heart. Every flex of his finger was just an extension of this place as he breathed it and it breathed him back...

Ichigo shook his head with another shiver. He was  _him_  and this place was  _it_ , he would fight this and come out whole. This was a parasite and he could feel it  _wanted in him_ , but he had dealt with this before and lived. The Father had long wanted him, and he spent many a night thinking about that battle, the way his soul was used - but he was fine. He was, he was fine. He had won that battle no matter the cost it had on him and - Ichigo whirled around to the growing presence at his back, but nothing was there. An echo of that horrific laughter played through his head and Ichigo cringed at the memory. He was losing it here, this place was every bit the scrape with control he'd had in that fateful battle. He recognized the familiar panic that plagued so much of his life and he knew he had to get out of here soon.

He had to get Ossan out of here.

Ichigo shook himself out and pretended like that had cleared the creeping presence from his back. He abandoned any attempt to make himself small and insignificant here as he bounded in Ossan's direction past rows and rows of eyes until they all blurred together. It wouldn't matter and he was quickly replacing his fear of this place with fear for Ossan and gradually anger for the both. It was just business to attack him, but to attack his own zanpakuto?

Now when he slowed to check directions, Ichigo saw that the eyes had become bulbous and swollen with a network of veins pulsing grotesquely across the expanse of darkness. Only their beating alerted Ichigo to their presence and something familiar twinged in his soul. In the thick of the veins movement caught his eye and he rushed towards it.

"Ossan!" Ichigo cried in relief when he saw that same dark figure.

"Holy shit, I thought I'd never find - Ossan?" Ichigo asked when his spirit stayed kneeling, his back to him. Now Ichigo noticed that he was shaking and huffing.

" **Ichigo...?** " Ossan asked faintly. Something wasn't right here, and Ichigo knew instinctively he needed to get Ossan away from this place.

"Come on Old Man, let's get you out of -" Ossan threw him back mid-sentence when he tried to put his hand on the older spirit with a snarl.

Ichigo's heart stopped when he saw Ossan from the front now, cloak thrown open for the first time since Ichigo had ever seen him to reveal black veins creeping up his arms, chest and face in a strange almost geometric pattern he'd seen on other quincies. His eyes were wide open, glazed over and disturbingly bright. He smelled of reiatsu, and iron... His hair had grown longer, and the shadow of facial hair he once had had grown to meet his sideburns in a style disturbingly reminiscent of The Father. In fact, if Ichigo hadn't have sensed that this was Ossan, he would have thought this was one of The Father's shadows... He panted with one arm held stiffly out where he had shoved Ichigo, the other gripping it tightly. Looking at Ichigo, his eyes cleared a little and he dragged his arm back with more of a struggle than he should have.

" **Ichigo... You should not have come here.** " He said darkly. His voice sounded different, older, and too familiar. " **You need to leave, _now_.** " He gritted out. He was trembling now. Ichigo's instincts were screaming at him to leave, but he took a step forward.

"No. I'm not just going to leave you here, like this! What's going on? I came here to help and I'm better now so whatever's happening you don't need to shoulder this alone." Ichigo said. A shudder overtook his spirit and Ichigo thought he was choking until he heard the dark chuckling grow louder.

" **'You don't need to shoulder this alone.' What a hypocrite...** " He chuckled bitterly. " **Of course you would be so foolish and naiive and _selfish_  all over again... stubborn  _petulant child_ , Gemischter _Köter_ ,  **du hörst nie zu,** **du** **verdammte** **dumme Hure**** **\- !** " Ossan cut off as if coming back to himself seeing Ichigo's stricken face.

"I'm sorry Ossan, whatever memories -" Ossan cut him off quickly clutching at his head. The veins were creeping up his hands now.

" **No, no no no! I didn't mean it I'm sorry - I'm sorry Ichigo, I'm, no, I can't - you have to leave Ichigo, you have to! I-I did something I shouldn't have and now _you have to leave_.** " He pleaded. Ichigo had never heard him so frantic.

"No! Just tell me what the hell you did and I can help you fix it! This clearly isn't okay and you obviously can't fix this on your own. Even if you could convince me to leave, this darkness is spreading throughout my inner world and if I don't rid my soul of the Gottlich then I  _will_  go back to them no matter what." Ichigo argued.

" **NOOOOO!** " Ossan screamed and the eyes around them grew wider. " **When I tell you to leave you LEAVE!** " Ichigo flinched, but he held his ground. This was not like with his mother, he had to do something and  _now._  Ossan was clearly not himself, and whatever he had done was eating away at his control.

"No! You listen to me! I am responsible for you and I will not just let you suffer like this! I came here for a reason and I'm not leaving until I'm done! If fighting you is what it takes to make this all stop, then I won't hesitate!" Ichigo exclaimed. Ossan stood to tower over him, taller than he remembered.

" **Don't you get it?! That's what will happen if you stay here and I won't be able to stop it! You want to know what I did?! You want to know why the Gottlich can make such a connection to you?! DO YOU?!** " Ossan screamed.

"THEN TELL ME!" Ichigo yelled back.

" **Your heart beats quincy blood, your veins carry our history no matter how you try to repress it! You are not connected to THEM, you are connected to HIM, son born in the dark! I didn't want this for you, so I gathered every last bit of you Blut Vein to myself in the hopes that he would not be able to consume you, every last iota of quincy power and potential that you contain so you would not go down this path! But I cannot deny your father and my incarnate any longer, Yhwach calls for your soul like the sea for the shore and I was not enough even in this life!** " Ossan cried, his voice breaking slightly at the end. Ichigo could see his other blade forming in the despairing spirit's form and he could not ignore how much he felt like The Father now.

" **I can't, ha - I, I -** " He broke off into quiet chuckling that shook his body, growing into a booming laugh that echoed and made Ichigo shiver. His hands were twitching and the shorter zanpakuto was shifting, forming into something else. Power swirled around him and grew. Ichigo tried to speak, but his mouth had gone dry.

" **I couldn't spare you the first time, and now it's even worse... If I could destroy this cycle of death and pain I would, I would, I'd end it.** " Ossan's whole body shuddered and when he looked up his eyes were brighter than Ichigo had ever seen, normal dark brown gone a vibrant blue that glowed even through his glasses. His irises shimmered unnaturally and looked like they were... like they were splitting...?

" **I just wanted to save you, to save you the pain and suffering life like this brings... I never said it before but a world without this... I can see so much, and we just wanted to save you, but you ruined it! Why would you fight such a natural course when you can be apart of it and transform this world into something better! You want to protect these people, you want them to be happy but in this world that can't happen, so why not change it?** " Ossan asked moving closer. His eyes gleamed and his zanpakuto - no, The Father's blade - was rising threateningly. Ichigo felt an odd sort of calm settle over his horror and he knew now why his spirit had wanted him to leave.

"You're not Ossan..." Ichigo whispered and brought up his own blade. Ossan blinked at his reaction and looked like he was about to say something when his own arm shot out to slice at Ichigo. The grind of steel on steel made him gasp and an expression of horror flashed across his face.

"You're not Ossan!" Ichigo reiterated with a snarl, throwing the spirit off of him. A look of hurt passed on his face before being overtaken with rage. He snarled at Ichigo and attacked again, fiercer this time and Ichigo could feel the intent to kill singing across their blades even with his numb hands as they clashed again.

" **How dare you! HOW DARE YOU! I have been the force driving you for all these years, I have been there from the beginning!** " Ossan screeched hacking at Ichigo's defense over and over again. " **I watched you grow from the mere sniveling babe of your mother's respite with that parasite, I guided your hand against those that dared stand in your way, I lent you my power to wage war with your greatest enemies, I turned from my original purpose to nurture and protect you! And when you died protecting this pitiful world I did it all over again!** " Ichigo whirled under an attack to kick at the raging spirit, only for his foot to get sucked into the black mass that had once been Ossan's tattered cloak. Darkness was consuming his spirit's body at an alarming rate, and the veins almost covered his entire face.

"Is that why you're trying to kill me? 'Cause it seems an awful lot like you're not the one in control right now!" Ichigo snarled wrenching his foot away with a strange sucking noise. His spirit's face contorted in rage, but his retort was cut off when his body flew forward again to swing at Ichigo's head. Ichigo just managed to dodge and jump back.

"I know how hard this is, but this isn't you! You're not him, you have to fight this! You have to fight this, ZANGETSU!" Ichigo cried. Ossan jolted at the sound of his true name and he looked at Ichigo again, his stance, their blades, his inching forward against his will. He clamped one hand down over the other in an attempt to stop himself, but the struggle was clearly not in his favor.

"You can do this -" Ossan shot forward, forcing Ichigo to block again and sending tremors up his arms he couldn't feel.

" **SHUT UP! Just - please just leave!** " He pleaded. Another shudder wracked his body. " **I can't stop this Ichigo, you have to leave before _I kill you._** " He hissed.

"No. I refuse to abandon you." Ichigo gritted out firmly. Ossan was heaving with the effort not to continue this fight. Ichigo could feel his sword shaking with the strain.

" **You can't defeat me, Ichigo. Not with only half your power and no understanding -** " He grimaced as his body shook. " **\- of your quincy powers let alone The Father's. You can't have a repeat of that battle, not again.** " Ossan panted.

"Then it's time I learned!" Ichigo countered. "How do you expect me to fight him again if I can't even fight you?" He could feel the dark tint of The Father's power taking hold as their time ran out. "I'll be fine, I've lived through worse."

" **Survived, not, not lived...** " He huffed. " **And, and not even that... before...!** " He broke down and his blade slid as he clutched his face with the other hand.

"Ossan!" Ichigo cried taking a step forward. He was forced back by a burst of black energy that burned like the sun and settled in his skin. Slicing the remnants of the energy away, Ichigo just got a glimpse of his spirit before he was forced to defend himself again. Ichigo cursed and dug his heels in against Ossan's blade pushing him down.

" **I... can't fi... can't fight, this... anymore!** " Ossan grunted.

The two broke their contact and Ichigo jumped back only to run into his spirit again. He ducked and rolled away under a set of eyes just in time, hopping back up with a swing to where he knew his spirit would be. Steel on steel clashed and Ichigo could feel the bite of his blade raging against its match. Whirling and slicing Ichigo fought in a desperate dance of blocks and parries, forced on the defensive by Ossan's blur of attacks. Ichigo remembered how fast his spirit could be from their training, but this was just ridiculous! He had to be using some sort of advanced quincy speed technique, something Ichigo hadn't seen him use, or perhaps this was an ability of The Father's? He had little time to wonder as Ossan's blade slipped between his defenses to jab at his side.

" **Ichigo!** " Ossan cried, but Ichigo was already moving, flicking his blade up and simultaneously going horizontal to avoid the strike.

"Don't worry Old Man, even puppet-you uses the same old tricks!" Ichigo assured.

He kicked off from the air to fly over Ossan's head, almost catching the tail-end of another strike to land on the other side, but he kept running. The eyes were following more intently now and Ichigo got the distinct feeling they were unhappy with him. That point was proven as one of the eyes he flashed by exploded in a flash of light that threw him back and left him briefly blinded.

" **Don't touch the eyes!** " Ossan hollered, still in pursuit. Not bothering to wait for his eyes to adjust, Ichigo jumped away with a yelp to feel the swish of air on him.

"Thanks for the warning!" Ichigo cried sarcastically. "Keep talking so I can hear you!" Ichigo blinked away the spots in his eyes and fled towards a place he thought there would be less eyes.

" **I don't know if I - EYES!** " Ossan blurted. Ichigo skidded to a stop as two eyes ready to pop manifested from nowhere right in front of him.

"Fuck!" Ichigo yelled and turned back, but Ossan had already caught up. In a split-second decision, Ichigo grabbed the lunging spirit by his sword and twirled him around to throw him in the path of the ticking time bomb.

"Sorry!" Ichigo cried as the eyes exploded around Ossan's back like a human shield.

He had no time to feel bad for the spirit though as more eyes began to pop up around him. He had to get out of here, but there was nothing but darkness and eyes around him. He had no idea where he had entered from, so he chose a random direction and was off in a flash, slicing and hacking away at the eyes that cropped up in his path. Apparently that wasn't the best idea, because immediately a loud screech pierced the darkness and all the eyes began to ungulate wildly, rolling around in their sockets. Heavy pressure fell on him in an attempt to crush his body and Ichigo immediately knew Ossan had caught up to him in his distraction. A blue arc of reiatsu sliced its way towards him not unlike his Getsuga Tensho and Ichigo was forced to retaliate with his own, hurling his black and red energy like a buffer. The two clashed in a magnificent display of blue, red, and black energy that lit up the darkness briefly as they warred. It looked like Ichigo's larger attack was going to win at first, but suddenly a volley of arrows burst through the attacks to rain down on Ichigo.

Crying out, Ichigo frantically swung his zanpakuto in an effort to shield himself, but the sheer volume of arrows were too much for him and began to break through. The majority shattered against his hierro, but the repeated battering was quickly drawing blood. As his red and black attack overtook the other, Ichigo could finally see his spirit again, toting a massive bow that Ichigo had never seen before. It definitely wasn't The Father's as it was too big, so that had to mean it was strictly Ossan's... And if it was Ossan's, could he do that? Was he able to summon a bow? As the thought entered his mind, the arrows were finally beginning to decrease.

" **This isn't like a normal fight with a quincy Ichigo, I draw reishi from your inner world here, everything! The longer this continues the less of your world there will be!** " Ossan cried. Fuck, so the darkness eating away at his world was more than just a metaphor. Why did that have to be the case with everything?

"Then I guess I'll just have to skip straight to going all out!" Ichigo yelled, swiping away the last of the arrows and gathering up his own reiatsu.

Ichigo raked a hand across his face, white liquid flowing out of his eyes and mouth to form his hollow mask, automatically changing his eyes from a warm amber brown to a feral piercing yellow against black. He could feel the connection to Shiro growing stronger, and he knew his other spirit could sense him fighting. Power lapped at the darkness and raced against his skin with the familiar burning sensation, but this was only his first mask. He had a feeling he would be graduating to a full Vasto Lorde form sooner than later without the use of his bankai. That was the one form he had surprisingly been with longer, his hollow powers being more accepted by the commanders than his quincy powers. Thanks to his hybrid nature, he could shift the mix and balance of his powers so that one form might be completely hollow and the other might be completely quincy. His shinigami form though was really more of a happy middle, and it acted as the base for him to lean into his other powers. He had no idea what would happen if he were to pour his quincy, hollow, and shinigami powers all into one form equally, but he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to for a long time. For now he would be content with a bankai that had quincy and hollow aspects, not the full deal.

Ichigo released an ear-shattering howl and rushed at Ossan, not missing the fact that his bow automatically shifted back into The Father's blade. An enemy that could fight long-range and close-range was certainly dangerous... but so was he. Ichigo met the dreaded blade with an assurance that should have startled his spirit, but he knew more than most the deep resolve Ichigo had despite his early hesitance. He had fought many a battle where the very idea of fighting the enemy went against everything his instincts told him, but he pushed through it and fought the battle for their sake, talking to them and reading their hearts as best he could despite the horror. That was how he had faced so many betrayals, that was how he had fought so many friends, so many "children"... But Ossan was different, there was no convincing here, only the song their blades sang when the two clashed, wielder against puppet. He could feel the difference in Ossan's movements in the jerky way he slashed, the strangely confrontational positions he took, and of course the rebellion in his hands. They shook and Ichigo knew how wicked hard he was fighting against The Father's hold, but he would free him soon.

Wasting no time in upping the ante, Ichigo laced his blade with his dark hollow reiatsu and swung. With each attack he poured more in and Ossan replied in likeness, the air growing thick around them. Ichigo could feel the uncanny sting of quincy reiatsu that just felt utterly wrong to his hollow side, almost a repulsive reaction. It seemed to be the same for Ossan as the black veins pulsed angrily wherever the hollow reiatsu got too close. Unfortunately they weren't an equal match, Ossan wasn't just using the mass of Ichigo's powers, he was pulling from The Father as well and it wasn't long between their difference in speed and strength became obvious. He might still be recovering, but this wasn't all Ichigo had to give, this battle was just beginning.

Howling, Ichigo spun suddenly releasing a vastly more powerful getsuga tensho point-blank, catching Ossan off-guard and throwing them both back a good distance. Ichigo hissed against the pain, but he knew the bite of his own power and the extent of its damage to him was worth the damage to the enemy. Renji had thought he was completely insane to release such an attack practically on himself, but it was far more common for Ichigo to do than anyone would be comfortable with. His own reiatsu constantly set his soul on fire, so he was already in pain when fighting normally, this just brought it to a different degree. At least his hands were almost always numb, and that combined with his tendency for his hands to lock up around the hilt made sure he never dropped his blade no matter how his reiatsu pained him. He was used to his reiatsu being a double-edged sword, so point-blank attacks were kind of his cup of tea. It constantly trained and strengthened his healing abilities, and it gave him an edge others couldn't afford.

Another inhuman screech ripped itself from Ossan as he clutched at his chest and face, the angry black veins going to work almost immediately. That sound deeply satisfied the currently larger part of him he knew was hollow. That was  _The Father's_  scream, and oh how he delighted in making the quincy  _suffer_. Ichigo gathered his angry red and black reiatsu to flow around him as it poured from his soul fluctuating wildly in preparation for the next attack. As expected, his injuries were gone within seconds from the powerful blut vein racing through his body and he began the next assault. Now that the two were at a distance again, the bow was out again and Ichigo was throwing his reiatsu around to shatter the volley of arrows. But they were definitely stronger this time, nearly twice as large and were managing to give him some trouble along with the visibly growing power around Ossan. Suddenly Ichigo's arm shot out behind him and a burst of light ricocheted past his face. He felt a couple beads of blood well up where the arrow had just sliced his mask and sucked in a shocked breath. Ossan had just cut him,  _he had cut straight through his mask_.

Whirling around to block the arrows arcing unnaturally around him like homing beacons, Ichigo swore and drew a complete circle of reiatsu around him in the form of a getsuga tensho that spread out from him in a wave of power to shatter the droves of arrows. How the fuck were these arrows strong enough to cut through his mask like that?! He felt his stomach twist thinking about that arrow hitting him from behind head on. Ossan, like almost every quincy he had ever fought, was able to direct the arrows and make them change directions whenever he wanted, so it was clear he was going for Ichigo's mask by attacking mostly from the front instead of all sides, which would be more effective. But how, he knew he could break Ichigo's mask, but how? Reishi arrows had never been enough, it always had to be reiatsu, and powerful reiatsu at that. But wait, he wasn't fighting some quincy, he was fighting Ossan. He could literally just ask... Ichigo wanted to smack himself for not taking advantage of this before.

" _ **How the hell did you do that Ossan?! How are you breaking my mask?**_ " Ichigo warbled in his double-toned voice.

" **I... don't thi- I ca... -HURGh!** " Ossan gurgled and his shoulders shuddered. He opened his mouth and coughed and spat, but nothing of use came out as his body continued to fire at Ichigo's stray getsuga. So now The Father decided to shut his spirit up. He really didn't look good, cloudy eyes and the sheen of sweat layering his haggard face. It wouldn't be long before Ichigo couldn't get through to him at all.

" _ **Er, don't worry about it! If The Father's just gonna gag you now I'll figure it out on my own!**_ " Ichigo called.

Something tickled at the back of Ichigo's mind and he knew that there was more to this, Ossan was doing something that Ichigo should understand. There was no way he was able to break through his mask that easily, and there was really only one way to find out...  _Well, time to pull the same dumbass break-neck strategy his commanders hate..._

Instead of immediately releasing another getsuga tensho, Ichigo let the first one dissipate and charged his spirit. Releasing a fierce battle cry, Ichigo recognized the look of understanding, horror, and berating on his spirit's face every time he pulled this reckless move. He could practically hear Ossan sighing and see him putting a hand to his head as he reached his hand to catch the arrows straight on, letting the rest batter his body. Crying out in pain, Ichigo forced himself to focus on that feeling, the damage he felt, how this attack affected him. He threw away the rest of the arrows like a madman, shattering them in his hands and grabbing left and right as many as he could. When he finally couldn't take the physical beating, Ichigo flared his wild reiatsu up around him again and began to dodge. His mind whirred even has he did, facing everything head on and watching intently as he continued his charge. He ran straight on, then he began to zig and zag, then he jumped up above. All the while Ossan rained down hell on him and retreated.

Finally Ichigo stopped his assault and began to defend himself again, but he wasn't done experimenting. What looked like reckless suicide was calculating testing and strategizing against his opponent. After all, how are you going to figure out someone's attack if you never experience it? You have to take a beating to understand it. Now while he was back on defense, he made sure to heal up his wounds, which stung quite a bit. His high-speed regeneration was rivaled by none at this point, not even the arrancar commanders themselves, but for some reason it wasn't healing as fast as it normally would, but only over the places he had sustained damage from this latest batch of arrows. Ichigo absorbed this with everything else raked a hand over his face again, replenishing his mask. The cuts were awfully clean, more like slices than anything else...

So if he was understanding what Ossan was putting down... Ichigo dropped his defense and charged for a second time, but this time around he didn't just let his reiatsu leak out around him, he channeled it around and over him, significantly beefing up his tough hierro and layering his entire body with it. He felt it soak into his skin until it was pooling in layers across his body, directing it in different thicknesses to his body. Sure it hurt like hell, but if anything it just felt familiar. He kept the majority of it on his mask and hands and arms, and with that he immediately began blocking arrows with his bare hands. Ossan knew what he was doing, but The Father clearly didn't because he kept firing barrage after barrage of arrows at him. As expected, Ichigo saw an immediate difference as well as something else...

" _ **So you're not breaking my mask, you're absorbing it! Bastard!**_ " Ichigo hollered, but he was actually pretty impressed.

By covering himself in reiatsu, he was able to see that the damage was only being done in places where there was less reiatsu to provide a buffer. The places he had less reiatsu, the more damage occurred. It made sense since quincies were all about reishi absorption, but that Ossan was able to absorb  _reiatsu_? That was more like an ability The Father had, but The Father wasn't able to absorb the reiatsu or souls of beings that weren't quincies without one of his special abilities, so this was all Ichigo. He was a hybrid of all the races, so using a quincy technique to absorb the reiatsu of a hollow into his mixed soul wasn't that far off, right? Quincies consumed reishi, and hollows consumed souls... So together... He tried not to think about just how far he could take this theory of soul absorption.

Well either way, Ossan wasn't a hybrid. He was purely quincy, so he wouldn't be able to handle nearly as much as Ichigo might with those abilities. There was a reason his hands and mask weren't nearly as damaged when he pooled massive amounts of reiatsu, so there had to be a limit. Quincies and hollows famously don't mix, so Ichigo was guessing he could overload Ossan with enough power... Any lesser hollow would be in deep shit right now, but Ichigo was nothing but power. He could more than easily generate power while in his more advanced forms faster than Ossan could absorb it, so that took care of that, but going attempting to use such forms so quickly after healing? He had yet to feel the strains of his sickness as he fought, but the closer he got to Vasto Lorde and the more energy and reiatsu he spent, the more it would settle in. Shiro was undoubtedly still trying to shield him from the effects of his illness, so the moment he took more power from him he was likely to be on a time crunch (not that he wasn't already thanks to The Father eating away at his soul). Instead of running long distance, he would be sprinting. He would release his biggest attacks in one go, maybe even take Ossan down before he had a chance to activate his own powers. He had to fight this battle quick and hard while in his most powerful form.

Now Ichigo began to release getsuga tensho's one after another, each larger and stronger as he drew more and more of his reiatsu out. Ossan was forced to split the powerful waves of energy with his sword instead of bow as he undoubtedly tried to absorb as much as possible from the attacks. After the last, massive arc was released for Ossan to deal with, Ichigo let the visibly fluctuating hellscape of reiatsu around him explode with a howl. He felt the familiar rush of instincts and power and his soul cried out for destruction... The desire to kill thrummed through his veins, but his returning consciousness tempered his darker instincts immediately even as his mask changed and his white limbs grew long and wickedly clawed.

Once his reiatsu began to draw back into him, Ichigo snapped his head down aiming his horns right at Ossan's throat. He saw his eyes widen from a distance and smelled the perpetrating scent of iron grow stronger as he prepared himself, but it was too late. A massive cero was quickly forming and no amount of arrows were enough to diminish its size. He faintly heard the call of some attack when he finally released his cero in a massive beam of red light. But he couldn't stop there, vasto Lorde was only the stepping stone to his resurreccion. He had only done it once and while Ossan was being forcibly repressed by another quincy, but this was pretty much the same situation and he was confident he could do it again. He couldn't use his bankai while the other half to it was trying to kill him, so he was forced to rely completely on his hollow side from here on out. There was some sort of dark thrill in being able to indulge in his instincts, but any feelings of freedom were quelled the moment an anvil of pressure forced him to his knees and his cero ended.

Massive wings seemingly composed of pure light folded around Ossan protectively, covering him almost entirely except for the strange halo,  _the Heiligenschein_  he reminded, that looked almost like a crown. Traces of his cero trailed off of those magnificent wings and Ossan finally drew them back to stand. In one hand he held a massive reishi bow practically fused by veins to his arm and The Father's reishi blade in the other, both glowing menacingly. His skin was...  _bright_ , there really was no other word for it, his entire being was just bright, glowing, burning a hot white like the core of a sun to drift off into brilliant orange and yellow tendrils just like with his wings. Just like the sun... It hurt his eyes just to look at him, and the heat wafting off of him was sweltering in a way that still didn't feel like heat somehow. The burning whites, yellows, and oranges contrasted sharply with the pitch-black uniform and long flowing hair and the words  _black sun_  came to mind even as he struggled to breathe. Not even with The Father did he struggle like this just by being in the mere presence of his opponent, the behemoth reiatsu pressing down on him like an ocean of hopelessness.

So this was Ossan's Vollstandig.

" **Vollstandig; Sonnenprinz...** " Ossan breathed.

The name sent a shiver down Ichigo's spine. He hadn't expected for his vollstandig to be like this, all the vollstandigs he'd seen before were like blue and white angels, serene and sharp. This looked warm and intense, like captured fire. And honestly should he be surprised? None of him ever followed the standards, so why should he expect his quincy side to? And yet... this didn't feel like him. This felt too similar to The Father's forces, but in a way he just couldn't explain. Regardless, Ossan was anything but idle and had hung his reishi blade by his side to draw his bow back. A sense of desperation and urgency overtook Ichigo and he could already feel his reiatsu welling up to meet this clear threat. If he didn't activate his resurreccion  _right now_ , he didn't know if he could handle this attack.

Ichigo scrambled to throw his blade out front, gripping his mask so hard cracks began to form. One hand on his blade, the other tearing at his mask, Ichigo felt the swell of power guided by his instincts.

" _ **Zangetsu, ASCEND!**_ " Ichigo howled as he tore off his mask.

The world went awash with his power, everything going black for a moment as his reiatsu consumed himself and everything else. All the while Ichigo screamed, reveling in the power but barely even aware of the pain he felt from straining himself like this. It didn't matter, all that mattered was tearing The Father down from his throne before he could taint Ichigo's domain any further. The moment his horns came back into being around the shattering mask fragments, Ichigo gathered and launched a massive cero that was black tinted with red this time, his cero ajusticiar, right at Ossan. It was a good thing he fired when he did, because a single arrow the size of his head clashed with his cero inches from him. Ichigo stubbornly poured more of his reiatsu into the cero, pushing back the arrow to finally pierce right through it.

_This was it._

He faintly heard Ossan's scream over the sound of his own howling, but it wasn't enough. He was only just injured. Ripping off the regal black and red cloak formed with his resurrecion, Ichigo appeared directly behind Ossan to where he had been thrown in a burst of sonido, swinging Shiro's newly condensed blade to release a getsuga tensho. That was the one thing he would probably share between quincy and hollow, albeit a little different in this state. Reeling back in his shock, Ossan drew his wings around himself releasing a torrent of burning reiatsu in an attempt to diffuse the attack. Ichigo knew as soon as his wave of reiatus hit that Ossan was going to bolt, but he was wounded and Ichigo was faster.

" _ **You stay right here!**_ " Ichigo snarled slashing directly at Ossan's face. He screeched and flashed back to where he'd been, blut vein working furiously.

_This was it._

Ichigo wasted no time in firing off another getsuga tensho, and then another changing position each time so that Ossan was trapped. Unable to release an attack of his own as Ichigo pressed him from all sides, Ossan was forced to draw his wings around him in defense. Curiously enough, his blut vein began to cover his wings as well as he hunkered down. He had a powerful blut vein that might even rival The Father's, but all Ichigo needed to do was deliver a blow that his blut vein wouldn't be able to heal in time, the attack that he was waiting for. When the veins completed covering Ossan's wings, a flash of reiatsu briefly blinded Ichigo as his defense was complete. Taking advantage of the split-second pause, Ossan broke out of Ichigo's ring of attacks, blood burning into nothing from the sheer intensity of his reiatsu as he whipped out his bow again, already gathering up power.

_This was it._

It was a race for time as the two screamed at each other, skyrocketing their reiatsu to monumental levels as they egged the other on to their most powerful attacks. A sense of finality hung in the air and they knew  _this was it_ , power against power. Ossan pulled a swell of burning power charging it into a single arrow the likes of which he had never seen before and Ichigo swung his blade back, head down and horns aiming while he charged his own special attack: Verdugo el Infierno. His cero ajusticiar charged in his horns while a standard getsuga tensho built up on his blade, but a cero of red light built up in the diamond of Zangetsu's cutout to join the charging attack.

" **Sonnenprinz: Heiliger Feuerpfeil!** " Ossan cried.

" _ **Zangetsu: Verdugo el Infierno!**_ " Ichigo howled.

Ichigo swung his altered getsuga tensho just as Ossan released his bow, a couple seconds ahead of his cero ajusticiar so that the two merged as the cero from his horns and the cero from inside his blade directed the entire attack in one spot. Their attacks met in an explosion and they were consumed -

x

.

.

.

_Hm._

.

.

.

_Hmm._

.

.

.

_Hmmm... - ! What the -_

Ichigo gasped. Scrabbling on the ground, Ichigo panicked briefly as he only saw white around him, but then his vision began to clear and the ringing in his ears grew louder. Working his jaw and blinking, Ichigo jolted when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Crying out in pain when the hand flipped him around, Ichigo just registered the face staring down at him. He was laying on one of his skyscrapers peeking above water while rain washed away the puddle of blood beneath him, his inner world as dark and dreary as ever. Ichigo asked Shiro something, but his voice didn't reach his ears. Shiro said something back, but it only made him panic more as he still only heard ringing, apparently enough that Shiro noticed and graciously smacked him across the head.

"Agh!" Ichigo cried, spitting up blood as his face nearly caught the ground. Wait a minute...

"Oh shit, I can hear again!" Ichigo choked out.

" _ **Good! I've been yelling at you this whole time King! If it wasn't for being directly tied to yer damn soul I would've thought ya were dead!**_ " Shiro yelled, making Ichigo wince. His head was pounding and it felt like his entire body had just gone through a meat grinder, especially now that his resurreccion had been destroyed and he had regressed back to his simple shinigami state. Damn, Ossan sure put up one hell of a fight... Ichigo gasped and sat up.

"Ossan! I gotta -" Ichigo's frantic cries were cut off when Shiro slammed him back down.

" _ **You just got done fighting Ossan and The Father, if you go anymore you're gonna pass out again, dumbass!"**_  Shiro snorted. _ **"Ossan's down for the count, you might've gotten beat to hell but in the end you're still standing; you won King.**_ " Shiro said. Ichigo didn't miss that gleam of pride in Shiro's eyes, however much he tried to snuff it out.

" _ **He ain't dead though, so I guess you did screw up on that.**_ " Shiro grumbled quickly looking away.

"Oh boo hoo, you still have to live with your other half." Ichigo coughed rolling his eyes. He groaned and leaned his head back. "If you won't let me go to him, could you bring him here?" He asked. Shiro shrugged.

" _ **Actually I just didn't want you getting up, so I'll take you with me - but my way.**_ " Shiro said with a grin. Before Ichigo could protest, Shiro was hoisting him up by the leg and flinging him with surprising force. Screeching obscenities, Ichigo was just caught by Shiro before crashing into a skyscraper.

"How. The hell. Was that. Better. Than me getting up?!" Ichigo panted. Shiro just threw his head back and cackled maniacally. He always got like this whenever Ichigo used too much of his hollow side, practically high off of the thrill of battle and the heightened connection he shared with Ichigo during.

" _ **Relax you big baby, we're here aren't we? And besides, I - !**_ " Shiro yelped as his legs were ripped out from under him, dropping Ichigo with a thump.

" **DEIN KAMPF MIT DEM VERRÄTER MAG ZUENDE SEIN, DOCH UNSERER HAT GERAE ERST BEGONNEN!** "

Double irised eyes flashed in front of Ichigo's face and a blade nearly plunged into his chest. Barely catching it, Ichigo screamed as tendrils of darkness snaked under the skin of his arms.

" _ **I thought you kicked that quincy bastard out Ichigo! Eat my taint, freaky friday!**_ " Shiro shrieked and lunged at Ossan's possessed body.

He just laughed without ever opening Ossan's mouth and the writhing darkness around him exploded to throw the other spirit away. One hand pressing the blade harder against Ichigo's hands, the other shot out to grab him by the neck. Ichigo gasped for air, unable to use his hands and pinned by the oppressive darkness. He could only watch as Ossan expressionlessly tried to choke him out in horror, seeing now that defeating Ossan had only left more room for The Father to take over.

"Ossan!" Ichigo choked. Something flickered at his weak plea, but it wasn't enough. In his desparation to reach his spirit, Ichigo let one hand leave the blade slowly digging into his chest to reach for Ossan's face.

"Oss - !" Ichigo gurgled as darkness edged his vision. His eyes began to roll back and he was sure this was it when the pressure suddenly released and he fell back onto the ground coughing.

" **NOOOO!** " Ossan screamed shaking his head about and jerking strangely. Ichigo could see Shiro still held down by darkness in the distance. This was up to him

"Tell me how to fix this! Tell me how to help you fight this!" Ichigo pleaded struggling to his feet. Ossan stabbed his blade into the ground and raked one hand down his face violently shaking.

" **You can't Ichigo! I told you, you can't win this! You've defeated me, you've defeated The Father before - but you are the most powerful threat here! Do you understand?! You can't fight yourself! You can't win against your heritage now, it's too late! I shouldn't have tried to hide this from you, I-I, I should, this nev - never would have, would have h-happenedddd urrgggghhhh! GAHHH!** " Ossan broke off into warbled screaming and Ichigo was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself for a moment, but he eventually brought himself back.

"Then I won't fight it! I'll accept all of my powers and learn to control them and my connection to The Father right here and right now!" Ichigo cried, forcing Ossan's blade back to his chest frantically. His instincts railed against his actions, but he was desperate to end this. Ossan gasped and shook his head.

" **NO! No - no no no no no! Ichigo you - you don't understand!**   **To do that is to accept your quincy heritage, and _The Father_.** " Ossan emphasized, his eyes starting to glaze over again.

"Good! This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't just accepted my heritage the moment I knew about it, and you can't blame Aldagar for it. You're apart of me, and while I recognize that you're Zangetsu just as much as Shiro, that's not the same as complete acceptance. The Father is father of none, and king to a broken empire. I'll accept  _you_ , not him. I accept my powers,  _my_  powers. And once I have control, I'm kicking that bastard out of here!" Ichigo cried. Ossan's eyes widened a fraction and he thought he saw something there, some old nostalgia in and amongs all the fear and pain.

" **You're the same as you ever were, Ichigo Kurosaki...** " Ossan murmured before letting go of his restraint. The sword plunged deep into Ichigo's chest and he let go, letting it slide deeper with a burst of darkness.

x

_Swing._

_Dodge._

_Shattered._

_His weapon had been shattered._

_Ichigo screamed and threw the ruined remains of his blade away. It was fitting really, that Shiro, one of his greatest friends and allies would be torn from him now with everyone else in this wretched world, but that didn't matter now. It only ever added to the grief and rage consuming his being and that was all he saw, black and red, the past and the end of everything playing itself out over and over again along with their deaths. What had once been nothing but love and life and the fire and passion of what it was to FIGHT and PROTECT was all just as torn to hell as the corpses littering this dying world that had had one last laugh, one last trial to give him in his search to just fucking exist with the people he loved. But he was far from done, he was broken and dying and a wild raging thing of wrath, grief, fear, sorrow, pain, and ABSOLUTE VENGEANCE._

_This world had taken everything he had ever loved or fought for from him, so gods fear the MONSTER they had created, HE WOULD TEAR THIS WORLD ASUNDER AND MAKE AN ENDLESS SUFFERING OF HELL FOR THOSE THAT HAD SO DESTROYED HIM AND MADE HIM INTO WHAT HE WAS NOW. HE WAS VENGEANCE. HE WAS GRIEF. HE WAS WRATH. HE WAS PAIN. HE WAS DESPAIR. HE WAS INSANITY. **AND HE WAS DEATH.**_

_Words his last mentor taught him graced his bloody lips and every thought of pain and misery that came from his torn and broken mind built him up and changed him to what he truly was, his skin burning off and his long ratty hair transforming into tendrils of seething light as he became everything the other monster in front of him had wanted. Everything except his._

_" **Ha, ha ha ha ha, HA HA HA HA HA HA! YOU FOOLISH MUTT! DO YOU REALLY THINK SOME HALF-BAKED EVOLUTION TAUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR OWN TRAITOROUS HEART COMPARES TO THE TRUE GIFT I HAVE GIVEN YOU?! Oh how I pity you...** " Yhwach purred._

_" **I know all, I see all, and all I see is your FAILURE. Every future is available to me and in all I see you, my son born in the darkness, kneeling to me and accepting my numerous gifts! I see you by my side reshaping this world into a realm of peace, without death! I see my son, and there is a reason you are my SON. You are my SON, the SUN, and thus I named you SONNENPRINZ so that you might be the sun in me, the vastness that is the universe! I rendered your soul wings of fire and a heart burning hot and bright with loyalty to your universe, and a bow to strike down the curs who would defy the future -** " Yhwach staggered under the blow of light in shock._

_"Shut up." Ichigo said. He lowered his massive bow and let his wings carry him up so that Yhwach could no longer look down at him. Stepping back, Yhwach regarded his glowing body and crown-like halo again before transitioning back into a sneer._

_" **No, I am mistaken, a rare feat Kurosaki. Ha... Ha ha, HA HA HA HA HA!** " Yhwach laughed madly. " **Whatever form you have taken must be so insignificant for it only to appear in one future, but fear not, that future disappears into darkness soon. So let us create a new - !** " Yhwach cried out this time when he was thrown back, the force of the arrow embedding itself in his chest throwing him off. Made of pure light that burned a cold blue, the arrow collapsed in on itself suddenly taking a chunk of Yhwach's amalgamous eye body with it._

_"I said, shut up." Ichigo said coldly. Yhwach looked up at him with a snarl, and for the first time, a spark of fear._

_" **I tire of this game, boy! You are a part of me, and you**_ **will** _**accept Sonnenprinz whether or not in this form!** " Yhwach snarled and shot his arm out._

 _Fire raced through Ichigo's veins and that familiar tetris game of pain covered his body in Yhwach's blut vein to push him towards a different path, but he resisted  
he res_ isted he resisted with a scream, feeling as if he was on fire. The pull of this fire was overwhelming and Ichigo screamed in the darkness, the horrible sense that his body was being ravaged and twisted beyond repair taking hold. Two paths called to him, both powerful but this one was stronger. He could feel himself moving and becoming without his consent or knowledge, but it was just so powerful, he was so powerful, and bright and burning and

_\- a battery. I am no battery, no fuel nor servant in the slightest Yhwach. You made a path for me, but so did I. I made myself into this, I became what I am on my own because I render reality my bitch." Ichigo said, gaining some venom on the last part._

_"Even dying you retain your vulgarity." Yhwach spat disapprovingly, but Ichigo could tell he was desperately trying to work out what future he needed to alter._

_"There is no future for me to find, Yhwach. I make myself, I make my paths, and I make my future. What you see ending is your future, because I destroy the concept of future for this world with you in it, I destroy every future with you in it. I have done the impossible over and over again, I have rendered outcomes no reality would allow, I have broken the millstone of fate time and time again, so that is what I must do once again. You in all your arrogance and contempt never once considered that destroying this world so thoroughly that time no longer functioned correctly would hinder you. You never once considered that the past held just as much threat as the future. You never once considered that your powers wouldn't cover the futures I stole from you. **You never once considered that I could change reality itself just to kill you**." Ichigo said standing once again. The veins covering his body were already receding and he was shining brighter than ever._

_"And now you are mine. I am no longer connected to you; you are connected to me." Ichigo said began his assault reach_ ing out to his powers, straining against these horrible chains in his soul for what felt like hours. The forces threatening to overtake him were enormous, but Ichigo would not fail, he would not let this consume him, he would fight, but how?! How? HOW? **HOW?**  The burning took further hold in his soul in his despair and Ichigo nearly felt himself go over, but his sheer will held him in this purgatory. He couldn't think like that, couldn't really think at all as his thoughts ran together and ended randomly, but through it all he felt his rage and determination growing. He was angry, so angry for a life he only half remembered but it was enough to remind him and strengthen him.

He would fight despair with rage, and courage, and hate and life and love and the desire to  **PROTECT!**  He had his own means of power, and no matter how this whispered and called to him, sung promises of greatness and strength, he would never bow to his baser desires and weaknesses.  _He_  made him strong, not  _this._ No matter the pain he would fight, and he would use his own damn power, that bright spark on the crest of consciousness waiting for him beyond the ocean of fire and sun racing underneath his skin, something cold and beautiful and a billion times stronger in his hands, his hands that broke the chains of fate to declare himself a protector, a guardian of this world, the prince...

_\- of all those that you would deem unworthy. I am Ichigo Kurosaki, and I am **STERNENPRINZ!** "_

Ichigo screamed, young and old, new and dead, Sternenprinz.

-x-

**Rukia Kuchiki**

"What,  _the hell_." Rukia breathed.

"I guess we really did need Shun Shun Rikka after all!" Orihime laughed nervously, arms shaking from having to hold up her shield for so long.

The entire training grounds were a complete mess, and with all of it Ichigo lying in the middle of a rather small crater considering the damage everywhere else. They had thought for the first hour of just null amounts of hollow reiatsu leaking out of the boy that things were going to be rather boring, but then things began to pick up. The barriers of course were doing great, even after a massive spike in pressure made them warp slightly, but Kisuke had assured them that that was just due to Ichigo entering resurreccion. Assured them. But of course the fact that the boy was powerful enough to do such a thing wasn't enough, he just had to go and start glowing like an atom bomb throwing reiatsu around him in not so little sun spots burning through half of the barriers and raising the temperature to a sweltering 90 degrees. They had thought that that was real bad, pretty worrisome, but when he changed from warm yellows and oranges to cold blues and whites everything really went to hell.

The kid basically went supernova and blasted that crater and part of the mountain he was against into nothing while a whirling hurricane of reiatsu surrounded him not just destroying things, but _eating the barriers_. Kisuke then so graciously let them know that he had actually suspected for a long time that this was going to happen since Ichigo was still low on energy and needed to consume reishi to fulfill his quincy side and that oh yeah, "by the way",  _if you don't layer all your reiatsu on top of Orihime's shield he might eat through that too._ By the time he had stopped glowing, everyone was practically speechless. Not even Kisuke had something to say as they all just watched Ichigo lying on the ground in the smoldering remains of his robes. Then Rukia had broken the silence, because  _somebody_  had to address what had just happened.

"Well!" Kisuke said with a puff of air. "That was certainly... eventful. I'm sure Ichigo-kun will be very tired after gaining control like that." Kisuke said. Rukia blanched, rounding to face the entire group where they rested.

"Gaining control. Gaining control?! That!" Rukia gestured wildly at Ichigo. "Was not control in the slightest! He could have killed all of us!" Rukia exclaimed.

"To be fair he did warn us..." Chad said.

"That's not the point! Someone as powerful as that should not have so little control that he just explodes like that! What would have happened if he had been in his human body? What would have happened if he had been above these grounds, in a town full of people?!" Rukia exclaimed.

"But he wasn't Rukia, I understand that this is upsetting and disturbing to you, but Ichigo didn't just lose it in a conveniently guarded setting. He purposefully did this, albeit probably not wanting to do it quite to this extent, but with control nonetheless. He waited until he was in a controlled setting away from where he could hurt anyone to better understand his powers and rein them in. Is that not what you do at the Shino academy?" Kisuke asked. Rukia spluttered slightly.

"Wha - yes, but that's different! No academy student is powerful enough to probably take out a whole town! Are none of you listening?!" Rukia exclaimed as everyone just moved past her to go about their duties.

"We are Rukia, it's just that you talk about Ichigo like a bomb, not a person. People are more than their powers, dangerous or not." Orihime said with an apologetic smile. She was about to go after them when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't bother." Uryu sighed. "There is some truth in what they say, but this is more complicated than Ichigo just being some human with a strong set of powers. This was a bad incident, but they simply view it differently." Uryu said.

"As what?" Rukia exclaimed.

"As a hard battle well fought, as a conquering of the self. It is that too I suppose, but you saw that we were not equipped to handle it." Uryu said.

"At least we agree on that. I'm not thinking of Ichigo as just a hybrid or a threat, I'm just trying to balance his needs against the safety of everyone else, which is in even more question now. You and I both know that Ichigo going to the Soul Society is inevitable, but the question of when is  _now_  for me." Rukia said watching Masaki and Isshin approach their nephew. She softened a little when she saw them pick him up to cradle him, his battered body somehow smaller looking in their arms.

"He would get help there, you know. He would have to gain their trust first, but they would take care of him there, nurture him and provide him with stability. I already know a couple captains who would make wonderful mentors. I think he could be really happy there." Rukia said. That really did matter to her, maybe not at first when she only saw the boy running around as a hollow, but after talking with him... Yes he was infuriating and unbelievably rude, but there was something in his voice when he talked about having to fight his war, having to keep this world safe. It also reminded her that he was still human.

"I suppose... I'm just wary to hand him over to the gotei." Uryu said. Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Right, he would be better with the Lichtreich wouldn't he?" Rukia asked with a snort. Uryu glared at her.

"I'm not saying that; I'm saying I agree. I'm just not sure right now is the best time." He said. Rukia raised a brow.

"After this? When would be a good time?" She asked. Uryu just remained silent.

 _That's what I thought._  Ichigo needed the control of the gotei, and now.

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

" _ **Come on, just settle down already!**_ " Shiro growled.

Ichigo grunted, but he was too exhausted to fight him. He must have really looked a mess because Shiro was actually quite gentle with him as he led him inside one of the skyscrapers where Ossan was resting away from the storm. It had taken a while for him to wake up, but when he did Shiro was there waiting for him with a completely foreign look of worry and something else. Apparently as soon as he had taken control of his quincy side, The Father was kicked out of his world and he quite literally set his world on fire, an anti-Father purge that rid Ossan of his possession. There were no more eyes or pits of darkness, and for that Ichigo was more than glad. Truthfully he couldn't wait to see Ossan despite the questions he probably had for Ichigo about his life now that he could ask them, but he wasn't expecting for Shiro to just set him down on his spirit's lap in the corner where he was resting.

" **Ichigo... well done.** " Ossan said faintly, wrapping his arms around him. Shiro plopped down next to them, putting a steady arm around Ichigo, probably to try and jumpstart his healing.

" **No need Shiro, Ichigo's already taken care of...** " Ossan tapping Ichigo's neck. Ichigo tried to see, but Ossan refused to let go, still strong despite his exhaustion. " **You'll find that while you've exhausted your hollow's high speed regeneration, your own blut vein is still just as powerful.** " Shiro huffed.

" _ **Only because Ichigo went all out - and you were hogging all the connection to heal yourself, greedy bastard!**_ " Shiro accused.

" **I needed to talk to you.** " Ossan said slowly, forcing him to meet his eyes. Shiro just set his jaw and looked away. Ichigo lifted his tired head to speak, but Ossan just hushed him and Shiro pushed his head back down onto Ossan's shoulder.

" _ **Don't speak Ichigo, you need to**_ **rest** _ **. You can just listen, and we'll talk about it later as well.**_ " Shiro said. Ossan sighed and leaned his head against Ichigo's. The gesture reminded Ichigo of the first time he had met his spirit and he practically melted into him. He was always so comforting, and he had hated shoving him away in particular because he had never fought it.

" **I could hear everything that you were talking about with Shiro, and I had a long talk with him about what he said to you. He has something more though to say.** " Ossan said. Ichigo felt his heart sink and turned his face away. He was too tired to fight, so he would just endure.

" _ **Hey, don't - I'm not gonna be an asshole again, I promise. So stop lookin' so goddamn miserable, I'm sorry. There, I said it! I'm sorry!**_ " Shiro huffed. " _ **I still don't completely understand, but Ossan gave me one hell of a lecture and I can understand on my own just fine that this is a shitty topic. But I'm not sorry I threatened your mother.**_ " Shiro added quickly. Ossan glared at him.

" _ **What?! You were the one who told me you remembered her -**_ " Ossan cut him off quickly.

" **That doesn't mean you should talk about people Ichigo loves like that.** " Ossan said. Ichigo turned his head up at him in surprise. " **Yes, Ichigo. I understand that you truly love your mother and that's why you couldn't fight back. You couldn't. I know.** " Ossan sighed. Ichigo made a small noise that sounded like a sob without meaning to and quickly put his head back down.

" _ **Jesus, you've waited a long time for that haven't you?**_ " Shiro said quietly. " _ **I don't quite get it since I don't know what the hell parents are, but I can get how power has a, uh, whatever role Ossan said to play in your life. Look, I was just mad and upset and I ended up being a real shitty person to you, 'cause I thought that you were just being weak and that was why you were getting hurt. But you weren't being weak okay, and no matter how strong you were, she was, she was still going to hurt you and I HATE THAT. I HATE WHAT SHE DID TO YOU AND I WILL NEVER BE SORRY FOR THAT.**_ " Shiro snarled. Ichigo balled his fists, but he didn't say anything. How could he explain to them that they shouldn't hate what he deserved?

" **I know you don't want to hear it, but it was wrong Ichigo. She was the parent, and you were the child and she was supposed to love and cherish you forever. Nothing you could have ever done made it okay for her to hurt you in any way.** " Ossan said. Ichigo was shaking now.

"No... No you don't, you just don't..." Ichigo trailed off, voice cracking. He did, he did deserve it. He deserved all of it.

" _ **You don't deserve to be hurt like that, you don't deserve punishment King! I always just thought you were hard on yourself because you knew you needed to get stronger, but this ain't it King. You have no reason to hate yourself like this! Everybody else sucks ass, not you!**_ " Shiro exclaimed.

"Just shut up!" Ichigo cried weakly, struggling to push himself up. "You don't know anything about what I deserve, you don't even know  _me_ , not really! You don't know anything -" Ichigo broke off coughing violently, but he didn't miss the look of rage on his spirit's face.

" _ **And who's fault is that -**_ " Shiro's venomous retort was cut off.

" **Enough!** " Ossan interrupted. He pulled Ichigo further into his lap and began rubbing Ichigo's back soothingly, pretending not to notice when he flinched at the touch. " **Please, just enough... We're all exhausted.** "

" _ **Fine. But we do know you, for the record. Whatever part of yourself you think you're hiding from us, we know where it is. We know that you hide it because it's filled with shame, pain, and all the other horrible things you end up saddled with. And we don't care. You're King, and we will always know who you are; us. You're apart of us forever and we'll be there for you as long as you let us. So don't make me force you to stay here to rest!**_ " Shiro said. Ichigo wanted to deny those words, and a large part of him did, but he could hear the truth and conviction in them. He was so exhausted anyways, so he let his guilt and shame rest and focused on that last part. That they were with him.

" **You're not alone, you know that Ichigo. You have to.** " Ossan said. Funny, a lot of people were telling him that these days. " **Just stay with us Ichigo, don't shut us out. We missed you...** " Ichigo buried his head into Ossan's shoulder, holding on tighter.

"I missed you too, so much." Ichigo mumbled. "I didn't mean to do it, I just wanted to protect you... And don't say that I should have focused on myself, because this did end up helping me too. I had to hide you away for so long so that they couldn't control you and interrogate you to hurt me." Ichigo added.

" _ **You shoulda said that sooner...**_ " Shiro grumbled. " _ **But that's still a shit excuse. So you're banned from leaving until we've all had a long-ass nap!**_ " Shiro declared. Ichigo sighed and yanked his spirit closer by his robes.

"Fine, but that means you gotta stay here too, no trying to find my memories." Ichigo said. Shiro glared at him, but he settled down and joined the pile of exhausted beings.

" _ **Ossan and I already made an agreement on that, so you're lucky. But don't expect - hey! Stop that!**_ " Shiro snapped. Ossan was trying to pull him closer so that they were all laying down together, Ichigo on his lap while Shiro held the two. Ichigo relaxed a little as his spirit was forced to settle in with him, and Shiro seemed to take notice.

" _ **Ugh, you're affection is disgusting. And you smell like old cooch, Old Man, nasty motherfucker...**_ " Shiro grumbled as he submitted.

And with that his rowdy spirit thankfully calmed down. The wind howled outside frightfully but, as minutes turned to hours and time melted away, Ichigo barely noticed it. It was warm and comfortable where he was, and both his spirits were finally together with him. Ossan would continue to murmur comforting things to him and Shiro immediately began to snore. Ichigo could finally relax and only slightly started when he felt his spirit start to stroke his head, just like how he used to when Ichigo was just a child. Needless to say Ichigo fell into a deep sleep cuddled with his two companions for the first time in ages.

* * *

Translations

 **Gemischter _Köter_ ,  **du hörst nie zu,** **du** **verdammte** **dumme Hure**  **\- mixed mutt dog, you never listen you stupid fucking foolish whore

 **Sonnenprinz**  - Sun prince

 **Cero ajusticiar**  - execute cero

 **Verdugo el Infierno**  - Hell's executioner

 **Heiliger Feuerpfeil**  - holy fire arrow

 **DEIN KAMPF MIT DEM VERRÄTER MAG ZUENDE SEIN, DOCH UNSERER HAT GERAE ERST BEGONNEN!**  - your fight with the traitor may be over but ours is only beginning

 **Sternenprinz:**  Star prince

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health  
\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah boy, we had two battles and a somewhat confusing look into Ichigo's quincy powers and a battle he doesn't quite remember... All instances of using "Yhwach" vs "The Father" and "Godebert" vs "Kurosaki" are as they should be.
> 
> So guess what guys, I finally have a tumblr now! I mostly finished with it a couple days ago, so you are now able to find all the fanart I've drawn for Rebirth there instead of having to traipse around AO3 searching each chapter for art. I will also be posting bonus stuff for Rebirth that wouldn't fit here, like designs I'm working on or headcanons or some theories about Ichigo's powers. There should be something new there soon, a design I made for Ichigo's resurreccion but was a little too hesitant to actually make canon for Rebirth. You can find me under the name "ramenspice," which I'm surprised wasn't already taken. I would put a link but fanfiction.net won't let me keep it in their doc manager.
> 
> So, Ichigo pulled an honest to god reseurreccion out of his ass, but what else was he going to do? The Father is serious business, and it was about time Ichigo flexed his powers a little. Because Ichigo is a hybrid, he doesn't evolve like a normal hollow and therefore doesn't have to go to that stage in between Vasto Lorde and resurreccion, a.k.a our arrancar boys, he can just skip it by ripping off his mask in that Vasto Lorde state. I wrote this chapter kinda on the fly because I've been having a lot of trouble writing Rebirth lately, so I wasn't sure if this fight was OP, but Ichigo has powerful enemies so I think it kind of balances out. I mean for christ's sake, Yhwach is an omnipotent god with the ability to destroy and reshape the world with whatever future he chooses, Ichigo has to measure up to that somehow. And don't worry, there will be more on the two Vollstandigs that Ichigo has access to, Yhwach's Sonnenprinz and his personal Sternenprinz. 
> 
> Unfortunately pulling out a resurreccion and then fiddling with a vollstandig was not the best idea in front of an audience of people with varying opinions. Rukia really does want to help Ichigo, but she is still balancing her duties and hasn't had her trust in the gotei destroyed since Aizen doesn't exactly defect in this world - no soul king, no throne to steal. Uryu is kind of of the same mindset except he's more aware of the gotei's flaws, and he remembers finding out Ichigo was tortured by Mayuri better than Rukia.
> 
> As always, thank you all for the feedback and feel free to let me know what you think! You can also ask me questions at my tumblr and I will try my best to answer!


	18. Chapter 17: Caught

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

Other Places You Can Find Me:

AO3: RamenSpice20

Tumblr: ramenspice - here you can find fanart for Rebirth, bonus material, and can ask me anything!

* * *

_Inner Thoughts/Speech_

_**Shiro (Zangetsu)** _

**Ossan/Old Man (Zangetsu)**

**Chapter 17: Caught**

-x-

**Orihime Inoue**

Orihime hummed to herself as she walked, careful to look both ways as she crossed the street. Surprisingly enough, school had been fairly pleasant today. It wasn't that she no longer enjoyed school, it was just that so much had been happening and training had become most of her world in place of studying. But now it seemed that she was starting to fall back into the swing of things, enthusiastically going through assignments at school and training her powers after. It certainly didn't hurt that now she wasn't having to look at Ichigo's empty spot every day either. He was alive now, sick and needing a lot of rest, but still alive and with a chance of coming back to his human life so she no longer looked at his empty spot and felt that terrible guilt and sadness. Her classmates had all mostly moved on, but she did still see them glance at his place occasionally, and that did make her sad. Normally when a student left, the seating arrangement would change so that all the seats were filled properly, but no one had wanted to take his place. It just felt wrong. So their teacher didn't mention it and nobody said anything.

Nobody said anything much about Ichigo in general. After the police had arrested Lena, there were plenty of rumors but no one felt all that comfortable discussing them anymore. Orihime had listened in to quite a few of them when they did surface, but none of them were the actual truth. It seemed everyone still wanted to believe Lena wasn't as bad a person as she truly was, saying that she had been neglectful because of her sickness, not abusive. That did make Orihime upset though, and she had to bite on her tongue not to say anything to them because it wasn't her place. It made her so  _angry_ , and  _sad_  hearing them try to make excuses for Lena and sometimes even blame Ichigo for it. Luckily though none of her friends tolerated that, especially Tatsuki. She had already punched quite a few people for saying such horrible things like that. Even Keigo and Mizuiro didn't like to hear those things, especially after Orihime and Chad explained why it was wrong to them. She wished she could tell Ichigo about it, let him know that there were people on his side.

But he was asleep. It had only been a few days since he had went all crazy and glowy and needed to rest, but that was enough to make Orihime impatient. This wasn't going to be like on the roof, she wasn't just going to let him wall himself off and leave him hurting because she was too chicken to talk to him. Chad had agreed on that and told her that he had invited Ichigo to train with them, which Orihime was incredibly glad for. She really hoped that Chad and Ichigo would become friends, but she didn't tell him that. She just had a feeling that the two were meant to be friends, and they did get along more than anybody else at the shop which made her extremely happy. That was actually why Orihime was coming to the shop a little late today. She had stopped by her apartment to get all of her homework and snuck into Chad's apartment to get his too. She would just say that he had left it there after a study night, and no one would question it because no one believed she could lie, let alone jimmy open a window to break in. But little did they know the lengths she would go to for friendship!

The plan was to get Ichigo to go over the parts of the syllabus she missed with Chad because Orihime was "too busy" with making them treats which she knew they would love, especially the jelly and squid kebabs. Then they would inevitably have to work on homework, and Chad would show him what they were doing in class and help catch him up because Chad was a great person! And then they would bond over how horrible homework was, and then she would bring them her snacks and they would hang out and become best friends forever! They would be an unstoppable team of friends, the ultimate friendship! It was perfect, it was genius, it was -

Orihime squeaked as the car that nearly ran her over honked at her. She'd become so distracted with her daydreams of friendly greatness that she had unknowingly walked into the street. Hurrying across so that she wouldn't become roadkill, Orihime breathed a sigh of relief when she got to the other side. She had a bad habit of getting distracted, but she couldn't help it. She shook herself and continued on. She was close to the shop anyways, so she had to act natural when she got in. Maybe Ichigo had woken up today and she could enact her plan! With that thought Orihime skipped the rest of the way to Urahara's, reaching the shop quickly. She went to call out to Kisuke when a sudden chill ran down her spine and it became harder to breathe.

She quickly turned around to see a strange group of people had appeared behind her. They looked to be wearing the same robes as Rukia, minus the strange white coats they all wore in various styles. She could guess from their reiatsu that they were shinigami, and powerful too, but they were the strangest group of people she had ever seen, excluding her own odd group of friends. A man wearing a pink flower-patterned kimono that was clearly a woman's and a sugegasa straw hat stood in front with another man with long white hair and black eyebrows looking through Orihime to the shop. Close behind on either side was a rather stoic looking man with black hair in a strange white hairpiece and light blue scarf that she thought looked a little like Rukia, a petite young woman with short black hair in the front and wrapped braids, a young boy with white hair, a tall, er,  _well-endowed_  woman with wavy blonde hair and a little mole below her lip, an expressionless woman with black hair braided down her back, and a... man? He could hardly be called human at all what with his strange black and white face paint, golden eyes and cones for ears, and permanent grin. Suddenly she realized just why looking at the man filled her with senseless fear and horror; he looked like a clown.

"Are you sure this is the place captain?" The blonde woman asked, completely ignoring Orihime or the fact that she was staring right at them.

"It has to be, otherwise all of us will have come here for nothing." The white-haired child said coolly. That little kid was a captain? Captains?! Were all these people captains? It would make sense as to why they all felt so powerful. But they didn't seem to know she was aware of them and the two in front went to move past Orihime, but she quickly moved in front waving at them.

"Oh! Uh, are you looking for someone here?" Orihime asked. Maybe she could distract them and get them to leave... The two men blinked when they realized she was talking to them and seemed to notice her for the first time.

"Ah, you can see us?" The white-haired man asked tentatively. Orihime nodded and snapped her fingers.

"You must not have known I could see you because I've been practicing hiding my reiatsu!" Orihime exclaimed. "Sorry, I wouldn't have hidden it if I'd known you thought I couldn't see you." Orihime apologized. The group all looked at each other, not entirely sure what to do.

"...So you must be an Outreach student then. Sorry for our bad manners, we really didn't know there were any spiritually aware humans in the area - I'm Captain Ukitake and this is Captain Shunsui." Captain Ukitake said gesturing to himself and the other man who tipped his hat. "But you can just call us Ukitake and Shunsui." Orihime beamed at the two, recognizing Ukitake as the captain Rukia constantly gushed about. They were friendly so far, thank the gods.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Orihime!" Orihime said giving a quick bow.

"Hello Orihime, it's nice to meet you too." Shunsui said with a lazy smile. "The rest of these stiff bozos are Captains Byakuya Kuchiki, Sui Feng, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Lieutenants Nemu and Rangiku Matsumoto." He said pointing out each one. Orihime went pale when she heard the clown's name, the same captain who tortured Ichigo, but they didn't seem to notice. She also recognized Byakuya's name, Rukia's adoptive brother, but that only made things worse.

"You can just call me Rangiku and my Captain 'lil Toshiro!" Rangiku said cheerily putting her hands on the boy's shoulders who immediately bristled.

"No you may not, whatever my insolent lieutenant says!" Toshiro snapped.

"Oh Captain! That's so rude!" Rangiku pouted.

"Enough of this! I was promised no distractions in this retrieval, and yet here we are chatting with a useless girl inches from our goal!" The freaky clown snapped and Orihime squeaked. She was doing everything in her power to try and ignore the man and not think about  _clowns_  coming to kill her, but it was much harder when he spoke.

"Now hold on, we're not on a time crunch or anything here! And besides, what harm is there in talking to a polite young lady who knows the area?" Shunsui asked giving the group a look Orihime didn't understand, but wasn't quite sure was good.

"I'm awfully sorry about my companions Orihime, we're all a little stressed what with everything happening as of late." Ukitake said with a sigh. Orihime nodded, knowing all too well what they meant.

"Oh yes, I heard things got pretty bad for a while, but nobody got hurt so that's good!" Orihime said stalling slightly. Most of them were nice, and she just hoped this was a misunderstanding and she could get them to leave. Ukitake nodded and gave a wane smile.

"Yes we were extremely lucky. Say, we're trying to find somewhere and we think this little shop might be the right place. Could you tell us a little about it - none of us are familiar with Karakura town." Ukitake said. Orihime felt herself freeze up, but she did her best not to show it. She couldn't tell them everything, but she still had to maintain Kisuke's disguise.

"Oh, well this little shop actually sells human items and spiritual wares. I don't really know what else to say about it since I really only go here to hang out with friends and buy candy. If you're looking for someone specific, I'm sure you'd have much better luck going to the Outreach and looking there!" Orihime offered.

"We're actually pretty sure we'd be better off looking here, but thank you very much for putting up with us. If you don't mind we'll be out of your hair now." Shunsui interjected, tipping his hat again. "We have to speak to the owner about something for a long while, so it's probably best for you to just go home now." He said. Orihime's heart dropped. They all went to move past her, but Orihime whipped out her Shun Shun Rikka before they could get any closer to the shop, placing herself like a barrier between them. She only hoped Kisuke had sensed the visitors and was preparing Ichigo to leave.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Orihime said seriously, bright smile gone. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, but she refused to move. The group of shinigami looked shocked, save for Mayuri who was inspecting her shield with a rather interested look.

"Orihime, we don't mean to harm any -" Shunsui was quickly cut off.

"You're here for Ichigo, aren't you?" Orihime interrupted. The group looked further shocked, but Shunsui and Ukitake quickly recovered.

"So you know about the hybrid boy... He must be here then. Please, you have to let us through Orihime. None of us want to hurt you, but we have our orders and we will not hesitate to restrain you if we have to. You don't understand just what's going on here, we have to do this." Shunsui said slowly, looking her in the eyes with a calm and assuring look, but Orihime's expression only grew heavier.

"No,  _you_  don't understand what's going on here.  _Ichigo_  is staying here because he's sick, very, very sick and he needs our protection from a lot of people who want to hurt him and people who  _have_  hurt him - like you." Orihime said accusingly, looking at Mayuri in particular with an angry look. Mayuri snorted.

"As if that brat is innocent - he destroyed my lab!" Mayuri screeched.

"For which I'm glad. You tortured him and I am not going to let you hurt him again. Ichigo hasn't hurt anyone, in fact he was trying to save everyone when he escaped! He found out about the worlds being cut off and was trying to open them up again - which he did do! He was the one who made that first portal, and had there been any creatures still in Karakura he would had warned us and fought them all!" Orihime exclaimed.

"If the hybrid was so noble then why does he hide and drag our people into this treasonous deception?" Byakuya asked ignoring her insistence at addressing Ichigo by his name. So Rukia and Renji had been found out.

" _Because people want to hurt him._ " Orihime repeated. "Ichigo has been here healing and hiding from the people who would hurt him, like you and his mother. Ichigo is a human too, he has parents and a family but most of them would hurt him, like his mother, Lena Godebert. She's a quincy under arrest for child abuse right now, but she could break out at any time and find him which means Ichigo isn't safe just anywhere." Orihime said. She hated to be giving away this much, but at this point it was really too late to hide much. They needed to know that Ichigo was in danger. Ukitake and Shunsui looked curiously at her and she saw several looks of confusion. Everyone was now looking at Mayuri who met them all with a sneer.

"You never told us that Ichigo had family or the situation with his mother in your research report." Ukitake said narrowing his eyes. Orihime didn't miss that he had chosen to use Ichigo's name.

"It wasn't pertinent to the mission, and the information has little effect on our orders. We are to bring the hybrid regardless of any of these pesky distractions!" Mayuri snapped.

"I'm loathe to agree with Mayuri, but we cannot waste any more time on pointless complications." Byakuya said drawing his sword. "Move, or we will be forced to act." Ukitake and Shunsui's eyes widened.

"Byakuya -"

" **No.**  I already told you;  _I can't let you do that._ " Orihime said.

-x-

**Ichigo Godebert**

Ichigo gasped as he came to, heart racing as he fought the figure standing over him through a haze of fear. Hands came down onto his shoulders and Ichigo bit at them, squeezing his own tighter as he wrangled his attacker's neck and planting a foot on their chest to kick them away. Zangetsu's duel blades were in his hands in an instant as he went to stab wildly at the spot where the figure had fallen.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo jolted at the sound of his name, swords poised to strike above his head just catching the sunlight streaming in through the windows in his room... in Urahara's shop... in the World of the Living... with Yoruichi... Ichigo dropped his blades with a clatter, shaking with adrenaline and panting harshly.

"Oh my gods... Ah fuck... I..." Ichigo panted as Yoruichi quickly picked herself up.

"Jeez, remind me not to wake you up again..." Yoruichi coughed in a thick voice rubbing her throat.

"I'm so, I'm so sorry I didn't, didn't mean to I-I swe -" Yoruichi interrupted Ichigo's horrified stammering shoving the top of a yukata at him.

"No time for apologies, put this on and stay here." Yoruichi said, hopping up and leaving before Ichigo could question her. But he didn't need to when he picked up on that monster reiatsu outside of the shop.

Captains, five of them, and two lieutenants he assumed from their similar reiatsu. Thrown into a panic again, Ichigo struggled to get the top of the yukata over his bandaged chest not bothering to tie it as he grabbed both of Zangetsu's blades only wobbling slightly. They had found him, oh gods  _they had found him_  and  _they were going to take him away._  Ichigo threw open one of the doors to his room to see everyone running around, the shop in absolute chaos. He recognized Mayuri's reiatsu, as well as Byakuya's and he felt a surge of anger in place of his fear as Zangetsu hummed dangerously.

 _ **So that bastard has come!**_  Shiro snarled viciously.

 **Indeed...**  Ossan said darkly.

 _Stop it, both of you! The more you two get worked up the harder it is to deal with my reiatsu!_  Ichigo hissed, clutching his chest. He'd already strained himself unimaginably, he needed to save that reiatsu to heal. Kisuke's treatment was working, but slowly. His chest still ached and took everything in him not to start coughing again and alert everyone in the shop that he was leaving his room.

_**It's too late King, if they're here then they know where you are!** _

**There is no point in hiding, but it would be bad to start anything like this... Ichigo is still healing, and our latest stunt has left him completely drained.**  Ossan pointed out.

_**So we're just gonna let them take him?! If that freak even comes near him I'm gonna rip his disgusting head off and use it -** _

Shiro's enraged threats were cut off when Kisuke shot by carrying a bundle of strange clothes and, wearing a mustache...? Ichigo shook his head coughing and slung Zangetsu over his back and by his hip to wrap themselves around him as he quickly looked around and ran to the front of the shop. He thought he heard somebody call his name, but everything faded around him when he caught sight of the scene playing out in front of the shop. To his great horror, there really were seven shinigami all standing out front with their weapons drawn and dangerously flaring reiatsu that all appeared to be powerful captains and lieutenants. The only thing stopping them from attacking however, was none other than Orihime standing firm with a warmly glowing shield. He could hear them talking from his place just inside the shop doors, but that only made him fear for Orihime more.

"- not above taking you into custody by any means necessary for the obstruction of justice via direct orders from the Head-Captain himself." Byakuya finished, lowering his zanpakuto at Orihime's throat. Orihime, to her credit, gave no reaction to the clear threat, but Ichigo was closer and could see her sweating profusely. They both knew that no amount of training made her strong enough to survive an attack from five captains and two lieutenants.

"Now hold on here! There is no need to resort to this! We can figure this out  _peacefully_  on our own, if we just talk -" The white-haired captain was cut off abruptly with a shove from Mayuri.

"While we waste time talking to this petulant child the hybrid escapes! No doubt that pesky worm is hiding in there waiting as his friends sacrifice themselves to make his escape!" Mayuri said, raising his voice. "MAKE NO MISTAKE, ONCE WE CUT DOWN THIS GIRL THERE WILL BE NO ESCAPE!" He screeched. Ichigo knew full well he was just goading him to try and get him to come out, but he also knew that Mayuri really did plan to kill Orihime right then and there and that made his heart stop as his blades jumped into his hands -

"WAIT!"

Rukia's cry jolted Ichigo out of his flight-or-fight long enough for someone to grab him from behind. Flinching violently and spinning around to see Isshin in spirit form motioning for him to be quiet and watch, Ichigo wrenched his wrist away out of reflex and flattened himself against the shoji doors. Rukia was still motioning for everyone to stop their advances in front of Orihime's shield while the white-haired captain and another in a pink kimono pulled Mayuri back. Uryu, Renji, Yoruichi, Masaki, and Kisuke in the most ridiculous disguise Ichigo had ever seen, a brown mustache attached to a fake nose and glasses, rushed out to the front of the shop. Chad appeared beside Ichigo and hid on the other side of the shoji doors to wait, motioning to Ichigo to put his blades away. Ichigo looked back to Isshin, unsure, who nodded and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Don't worry, Kisuke always has backup plans for when things go south, and backup plans for the backup plans. Just trust us, we have this covered. But if things don't go well right away, Chad and I are to take you to another hideout of Kisuke's. To do that I need to keep ahold of you the entire time so I can use this -" Isshin produced a strange looking clear glass orb from his shinigami robes, twirling it around as if defying gravity. "It's supposed to be disguised as a fushigi, but really it will open up a backdoor of sorts for us to escape through." Isshin explained.

Eyeing the ball wearily, Ichigo put his blades away and offered an arm for Isshin to hold. Instead Isshin put his whole arm around Ichigo hugging him to his chest so they could both peek out conspiratorially. Ichigo jolted at the sudden proximity, heartbeat skyrocketing as he instinctively tried to pull away but Isshin didn't seem to notice. He knew this was necessary and he should find it comforting, but instead he just felt like his skin was on fire and he was going to throw up. It was hard not to shove Isshin away and end this sweaty panic, but Ichigo was more scared of being taken back by the mad scientist than he was of having to endure being touched, so he just tried to steady his breathing and focus on the situation at hand like he had practiced. _Breathe, keep your body still, breathe..._  He had been through this before, he could feel when he was going to freak out and close to losing it many many times before and he had taught himself to work through it.  _Just breathe, focus on something else and try not to go down the rabbit hole._  Easy, this was easy, he'd been doing this since what, fifth grade? And this was easy compared to then, he was way more sensitive back then. No practice, all fear, all instinct, _that_  was bad. This was easy, he was just waiting and watching with Isshin - his uncle, a nice man with nice kids and nice intentions -

 _ **Oi! You're gonna miss it if you don't pay attention!**_  Shiro interrupted.

Ichigo came back to reality and snapped his eyes back up from Isshin's hands to where they should be; the front of the shop. It was clear that the presence of the group had greatly shocked all the shinigami except Mayuri's lieutenant, that Nemu lady. What for Ichigo wasn't exactly sure, but they were facing two of their own, a clan princess and instructor, two quincies, and whatever the hell nutjob persona Kisuke was trying to pull off with his shoddy disguise. At least the shock was enough for most of the captains to lower their weapons and keep Mayuri at bay.

"What is the meaning of this?!" A short white-haired kid demanded. Ichigo wanted to doubt that this kid was a captain, but look at him, only fifteen and able to strike fear into the hearts of warriors just with the mention of his name in the Old Worlds.

"Proper legal proceeding, believe it or not Toshiro." Yoruichi said crossing her arms with a smirk.

"That's  _Captain Hitsugaya_! And how in the three worlds is hiding a fugitive hybrid and committing treason proper legal proceeding?!" Toshiro snapped irately. So he was a captain. Ichigo was forced to clamp a hand over his mouth to try and stop himself from coughing, chest shaking slightly with the effort. They couldn't hear him from here, but that fear of being caught was ever present.

"That's right, I never did get to congratulate you on the promotion Toshiro!" Yoruichi exclaimed ignoring how he bristled. "I suppose that'll have to wait until we properly meet up with everyone at the Seireitei for court." Yoruichi said giving them all a pointed look. Oddly enough, Byakuya lowered his blade with a barely readable air of sudden understanding.

"You've been preparing to request a militant trial." Byakuya stated rather than asked. The rest seemed to catch on with the cold man's reasoning and for the most part seemed more inclined to listen than attack.

"While the fact that you all were not committing direct treason is great news, you know we have to ask why you've chosen to stand on the side of a stranger in such a dangerous position. All of you could very well be tried for execution regardless of proceedings to help the hyb -" The man in the pink kimono paused looking at Orihime for some reason. "- to help  _Ichigo_ , a powerful young man Mayuri's reports show to be an unstable and volatile individual who caused harm to two children." He said. Ichigo's eyes widened in horror. Mayuri was lying, he'd completely messed with the reports and spun things around with Nara and Ori. Ichigo looked to Byakuya, the only other person besides Renji who could right things, but he made no move to say anything... Because he hadn't really seen what happened, just that Nara and Ori were hurt and Ichigo was a hybrid.

"That's completely ridiculous! Uh, S-shunsui-taichou, if I can interject." Renji stammered. Ichigo blinked, taken aback. Renji was defending him?

"Well of course, you were the only one to fight beside Ichigo and Mayuri's reports have proven sparse..." Shunsui said, earning a seething glare from Mayuri.

"Yes taichou! Ichigo wasn't the one to hurt those two children, the majority of the damage was caused by the Necromancer, a hollow which Ichigo and I managed to kill right when Captains Byakuya and Mayuri showed up. Ichigo was originally escorting the two back to their village when they were attacked, which prompted Ichigo to send Ori into the village to get me while he fought the Necromancer. None of this made it into the report though as Captain Mayuri requested secrecy for his newest subject..." Renji said. Shunsui nodded.

"I see, thank you. I'll admit that makes much more sense to me on this young man's character considering what Orihime said about helping us, but character alone won't help you win this." He said. Rukia who had been looking extremely uncomfortable the entire time for some reason spoke up.

"Win this? But Shunsui-taichou, the only 'crimes' Ichigo has committed were justifiable and should only take a short period of time to work out - what exactly is there to fight? I-I assumed the only legal complications would be figuring out custody from my talk with Ukitake." Rukia said. Orihime gasped and Ichigo went stiff, his struggle to stifle his coughs forgotten. Isshin cursed silently beside him.

"You were the one who brought them here?! But, but you said you wouldn't do anything until Ichigo was healed!" Orihime accused.

"Technically Rukia didn't, she was simply making a call to her captain about the options Ichigo would have within the gotei. I personally thought such an idea wasn't safe, but I'll admit that I did agree with her reasoning and did not bother to stop her." Uryu said pushing up his glasses.

So Uryu had known about this. Of course. But honestly, Ichigo couldn't really find it in him to be mad, at least not for his sake. They had already done an unbelievable amount of things for him with absolutely no benefit to them when anyone in their right mind would just give him up right then and there. They had healed him instead of imprisoning him, they had given him a place to stay, clothes, a bed, his own damn room and talked to him when they had no reason to. Hell, they had all pretended that he was more than just a weapon when they saw firsthand what he could do, even Rukia and Uryu in their own odd ways. He couldn't even say that either had betrayed him, because neither were his to begin with and they didn't mean to turn him in. In fact, they were just trying to figure out the inevitable. That damn pipsqueak though trusted her organization too much and now they were all in danger, and that did make him  _pissed_. She had no idea just what would happen if Ichigo were to end up with the Gottlich, had no idea the horrors this world would suffer. He wasn't angry at any supposed slight on his end, he was angry for the billions of people she had just thoughtlessly put in danger,  _the whole fucking worlds that were at stake._  For the gods' sake she was practically spitting in the faces of everyone who had given their  _lives_  for their people, for their world! She reaped the benefits of peace and safety while they burned and died and suffered fighting an endless war so  _goddamn many_  of them wouldn't ever escape from, one he would never leave,  _one he had fought his entire life for, one everyone was fighting for._  She didn't see the fields of corpses, the forests bearing the souls desperate for escape, didn't choke down the smell of rotting flesh every night, didn't become accustomed to their screams, or the empty silences that stretched forever, seeing half-dug little graves, little bodies teaming with ma -

 **Ichigo, calm yourself. You're not the only one upset.**  Ossan interrupted. Ichigo twitched at his intrusion realizing he was shaking, but relaxed a little at his spirit's comforting presence. And as he said, Ichigo wasn't the only one upset with Rukia, or rather more disappointed it seemed.

"I don't think you realize just what that call did Rukia, the gotei is not a merciful or forgiving entity." Masaki said sadly. _Yeah, no shit._  Rukia looked around at the upset reactions sputtering slightly.

"I had to! The gotei has always made exceptions for living souls, and with all of Ichigo's complications I was confident they would help him if I just called and explained the situation! The best way to get resources to Ichigo is to explore his options - which I did privately!" Rukia exclaimed. So she had done this because she thought Ichigo needed help...

"I'm sorry Rukia, but unfortunately none of us are here for Ichigo's sake like you would have expected from us, like what should be expected... I tried to explain it to you during your call but the gotei won't recognize that Ichigo is a youth in danger first and foremost, he is not being considered in a case of actions but rather the crime itself; Central 46 explicitly forbids the creation and existence of a being belonging to more than one of the races and thereby judges such beings as, as abhorrent crimes against the natural order. The punishment for such a crime is to be debated in severity from permanent sealing and soul-stripping to execution. That's why we're here Rukia, to imprison Ichigo until the nature of his punishment can be decided. I, I am truly sorry and I can safely say that there are many saddened by and against this but this is and has always been the stance of the gotei and we can only follow it." Ukitake said. Ichigo was actually surprised that his execution was in debate at all, but Rukia was surprised, no, _horrified_ , for the opposite reason... That was not what he expected, but he was still seeing everything through a haze of anger, fists clenching and unclenching. Like Mari, his coughing got worse when he was upset and Isshin had to squeeze his shoulder to remind him to be quiet, only earning a fearful flinch.

"But, but Taichou, I, he, I c-called in order to ask your advice and inform you of a difficult situation and you told me that it's best not to engage in it, I didn't think that, I mean how could - it's not right!" Rukia blurted. Ichigo saw the lightning quick flash of Byakuya's eyes and he was sure Rukia would crave to her beloved superiors, but instead he saw her harden her resolve hold her ground. "How can an organization tasked with protecting innocent souls put a young boy to death simply because of what races he is? To judge a soul so harshly and wrongly puts shame to the very name the gotei was -"

"- built on the misdeeds of a ruthless and cruel past generation. The Gotei 13 is not what it used to be, but we still contain the laws of our archaic past whether or not we have moved on. I hold no pride when I say that this is the way things have been done for centuries, and that  _this has been done before_." Ukitake said giving Rukia a heavy look. That sent a chill down Ichigo's spine.

"The younger generations don't remember, but us old folks know more than we ever wanted to." Yoruichi spoke up. "This law is in place for a reason Rukia, someone had to be the reason for it. Hybrids are not as rare as people believe they are, it's just the living, thriving ones that are. People have been trying ever since the concept of more than one race came about to combine and produce mixed races and hybrids, and the results have always been horrific and catastrophically dangerous. The gotei needed a way to deal with the issue, so that law was put into place and used to execute the twisted and half-baked creations from so many failed attempts. The entire basis of this was the very real fear that one day someone would succeed and a monster would be born too powerful to kill and too unstable to let live. That's why people like the Vizards were driven out and nearly persecuted for that terrible accident, and why people like me  _left._ " Yoruichi said giving the group a hard look.

"I believe you mean _exiled_. No one was willing to join you in your fruitless punishment for disobeying the law, so it is no surprise we meet on separate sides again." Byakuya said. He turned to Rukia and Renji then. "It is not our place to question such laws, but it is our duty to follow them as members of the Gotei 13 for without them there would be chaos." He said causing the two to immediately look down.

"Yes taichou..." Rukia swallowed under his burning gaze. "But, but how will the law proceed when Ichigo isn't anything like other hybrids? He's sentient, fully functioning, and any instability can be resolved with a little guidance from us - that's why I called, I thought, I thought that would be the natural outcome for such a complicated case." Rukia said still bowing her head. Either she was a complete fool, or she hadn't yet been burned by her blind loyalty.

 _ **Personally I think both, that filthy shinigami practically worships the gotei!**_  Shiro snarled.

 **This isn't like the Old Worlds...**  Ossan pointed out.  **This world and the people in it are far more joined and stable, so trust is far more natural.**

 _Yeah, but that doesn't mean she just gets off scott-free on this, how could she not know that this would happen? She saw what happened to Isshin and Masaki, and literally everybody warned her not to trust them - did she not learn from Uryu's experience with the Gottlich?! Is she really so arrogant that she believes she knows better than everyone else, better than people who had been with the gotei for centuries?! I don't know if I maybe didn't make it clear enough when I told her about the massive fucking_ war _everyone is fighting but I think the lives of billions of souls should have given her a bit more to think about than the goddamn law._  Ichigo growled.

**So we would then do what? Punish her? Rub more salt into her wounds than having to face the realizations she was wrong is already doing? Penalize her for not knowing about worlds she's never been to and wars she's never fought? She didn't know, and it _wasn't_  made clear enough to her. Yes, what she did was still wrong and she should have known better than to, but she will never understand the absolute danger of the situation unless you tell her or show her in some way.**

**_Oh we'll show her alright, I'll drag her foolish pipsqueak-ass screaming down to the Old Worlds and let the fucking_  Nejireta _and_ skinners _have a piece of her before The Father consumes THAT ARROGANT BITC -_**

_STOP! Just stop it Shiro, I don't want to ever hear you talking about doing that to anybody!_

_**But you were the one calling her an arrogant fool, you're just as mad as me about this! She should be punished, she's ruined everything! You could die, everyone could die, or worse this world could invite Yhwach in! What right has she to live over you!**_  Shiro snarled.

_Being angry and acting like a monster are two different things, and that wasn't a punishment, that's just torture! There's a reason we don't joke about the Old Worlds or Nejireta or skinners or definitely The Father, and why we never threaten to do something so horrible and cruel. You know that I wouldn't want that for even my worst enemy, save The Father of course, trapping someone in the Old Worlds is the worst thing I could think of to ever do. Being there is absolute hell, it destroys you and you know that. I told you that shit crossed the line. Of course I'm still pissed about this, but that doesn't make any of that right or justified. I'm damn ready to just lose it on her, but you know that, ugh, you know that Ossan is right._

**I don't know why that's so hard for you to say.**  Ossan muttered.

 _Sorry Old Man, you know that I'd rather just solve this with a fist and it's not like Rukia doesn't already make me wanna do that._  Ichigo sighed.

**_So she is just getting off scott-free, you're just an angry hypocrite and Ossan's just a sappy coward! I don't care if threatening the Old Worlds on her is crossing a line, I just care if she gets what she deserves for betraying you!_ **

_She didn't do that, and I never said she's getting a pass on this. You want reconciliation, Ossan wants understanding, and I want for her not to do it again. We can meet all three of those just fine by telling her why this is so important, why what she did was wrong, so for the gods' sake stop fighting with me already! Guilt is one hell of a punishment and now she'll know what's at stake._

**_Compromise my ass, but it's not like I can change your stupid stubborn mind._**  Shiro muttered angrily.  ** _Just make sure you actually yell at her and make her as scared as she damn well should be about this shit-show!_**

 _I don't think I could stop myself, but I don't want you egging me on during it all, I'm mad enough as it is. Now be quiet already._  Luckily his rowdy spirit listened and they were back to watching Rukia struggle with her superiors.

"I know Rukia, but I do wish you would not have called. I'm legally required to bring up your concerns over such a serious matter whether or not the call was private or in a report, and the lines are monitored more than you were led to believe. That's how we found you, by listening to your call and determining who was with you so we could try and trace them. Renji is still tagged from Mayuri when he was sent on that mission involving the Necromancer, we just needed a reason to track him." Ukitake sighed. Renji snapped his head up looking mortified.

"I'm still tagged?! Is that even legal for you to do?!" Renji exclaimed. If it wasn't for the situation Ichigo would have snickered. Renji was micro-chipped like a dog and somehow that seemed completely necessary to him.

"Of course it's legal! And don't act so horrified, Byakuya didn't allow me to tag you with nearly as much functions I requested - not even basic blood and urine sample tracking!" Mayuri huffed. Renji paled.

"Vell, schpeaking of legality ve assumed you vould be schtopping by once ve alerted you, scho ve do have schome papers but ze rest ve have are not prepared. As Orihime schaid, Ichigo isch very schick scho ve vere busy taking care of zat first and foremost." Kisuke said in an accent so fake it made Ichigo lose control and start hacking coughing into his hand. It sounded like the sick amalgamation of german and french accents plus something undefinable. However, none of the shinigami seemed to think his fake accent or even faker disguise strange.

"And who might you be?" Toshiro demanded eyeing him. Kisuke grinned and whipped his fan out, taking position in front of his shop dramatically.

"Vhy I am Hanz Montgoment, ze keeper of zis schop here, just a humble schopkeeper schelling schpiritual vares and schupplies to Yoruichi-schan, vhich isch how I found out about young Ichigo in ze first place! I have medical experience and my schop scheemed ze perfect place for him to schtay vhile his mother vas a danger, asch well asch being close friends vith Kurosaki-schan here, ze lawyer who vill be representing Ichigo!" Kisuke exclaimed letting Masaki step forward. Ichigo blanched.

"I wish we could have met under better circumstances, but I am Masaki Kurosaki, human lawyer and quincy." Masaki said bowing politely. Ichigo didn't know his aunt was a lawyer, he thought everybody was just bullshitting making a case for him to get the captains to leave! Were they actually defending him in court?!

"Kurosaki... That name sounds familiar, if I may inquire." Shunsui said with a polite dip of his hat, but Ichigo got the distinct feeling he already knew. Masaki gave a bitter smile.

"Yes, I am familiar with the gotei's courts unfortunately. I was accused of attempting a fusion between my quincy powers and hollow powers after an accident with a parasitical hollow that infected me. I was too sick of course to deal with the charges, but my friend, ah, _Hanz_  here... he helped me hide and heal until the charges were inevitably dropped." Masaki said.

"Ah, I do recall that unfortunate case. But what makes a human lawyer qualified or even inclined to represent Ichigo?" Shunsui asked.

"I am primarily a lawyer representing humans, but as I have said I am a quincy and as part of my training I am fairly well versed in the legal matters concerning the spiritual world. Ichigo's case is also suited for my abilities as I do primarily take domestic violence cases concerning minors. I also just recently found out that he is my nephew." Masaki said with a slight smile. Shunsui and Ukitake looked at each other, sharing a conspiratorial expression for some reason.

"Certainly unexpected, but that does double your claims for custody, doesn't it? I guess that really forces us to hold an extended case prolonging time to gather evidence, darn." Shunsui quickly said with a snap of his fingers, a strange twinkle in his eyes confusing Ichigo. Masaki gave him the smile of someone in on the same joke and Ichigo could have sworn they had known each other.

"I do have to warn you though, we will need more time to prepare for Ichigo's case while he heals, say, two weeks?" Masaki proposed. Ichigo had a feeling they needed less than that considering the mad genius, princess, former shinigami, and quincies on their side. Mayuri looked like he was going to burst and Byakuya was already opening his mouth when Shunsui quickly spoke.

"Now hold on there, we were given orders to take Ichigo to the Soul Society, we can't just accept your case claim and leave. We can't just take your word of a claim and leave, and we haven't even seen Ichigo yet. For all we know he's already managed to escape." Shunsui said.

"Yes, now bring the hybrid out already!" Mayuri demanded with a huff. Ichigo sucked in a breath and immediately tensed up, but Isshin just squeezed his arm as if to tell him to wait.

"I'm afraid zat Ichigo isch very schick asch ve have schaid many times, scho ve may need a moment to vake him up." Kisuke said. He pulled out something from his robes, a thin stack of some rather formal looking papers that had a strange scent to them. It smelled like... like they were infused with reiatsu. "And asch for ze claims, ve already took to ze liberty of preparing all ze necessary documents for a schplit custody casche and pardon grant - schigned of coursche by a Quincy Ambassador, ze Representing Schinigami, closescht of kin, representing lawyer, scheven vitnesses, qualified medical professional, Local Schinigami and vith ze schupport of a clan princess, two quincy nobles and others ve vill schee later... " Kisuke said handing the papers over. Shunsui and Ukitake's eyes widened as they read over the papers, making the skeptics of their group come closer.

"It's true, these papers contain all the necessary signatures - we can grant this pardon and accept the claim." Ukitake said disbelievingly, almost hopefully.

"What?! Impossible!" Toshiro exclaimed. "There's no way you could garner such support! Let us see these supposed signatures!" He demanded. Shunsui threw up his hands and moved for them to see.

"It's all there, trust me. See for yourselves." He said. Toshiro's child-like but cynical eyes darted over the paper, searching it for falsities before jabbing his finger in one spot.

"This signature has been repeated! And so has this one! And half of these titles match up with individuals I have no recollection of gaining them!" Toshiro explained. Surprisingly, Uryu stepped up to the plate with a snort Ichigo knew all too well.

" _Actually_  you'll find that all titles and individuals are exactly as they say they are, Captain. The Quincy Ambassador is my father, Ryuken Ishida, who also happens to be the medical professional and next of kin due to the nature of my grandfather's position, former Quincy-Shinigami Ambassador Soken Ishida. My grandfather made it so that his title was passed on to my father in the event of his death, so he is technically an honorary Quincy Ambassador despite refusing any and all duties." Uryu said, somewhat bitterly to Ichigo's ears. "Even I was unaware of this, so don't mistake the lack of knowledge for deceit." Uryu said with a sniff. Oh... As far as Ichigo knew, Uryu and his father had a pretty rough relationship, but even this had to hurt.

"As for the representing shinigami, that is of course Yoruichi-san because her rights as a shinigami were clearly not revoked, the same with her princess-hood. Masaki is still a noble, and so is my father. Really quite simple once you look at it with experience. Any other questions or concerns?" Uryu asked with an irritatingly polite tone that practically mocked them to their faces. Ichigo might not like the guy in the least, but even had to admit that Uryu had his moments. Toshiro just sucked in a breath, slipping back into his calm and collected demeanor and shoving the papers back into Shunsui's hands.

"No, but none of this takes care of the hybrid in question. Or is he only technically, _honorarily_  here?" Toshiro asked scathingly. Uryu just crossed his arms smugly.

"Of course, forgive me for not clarifying  _yet again_  that Ichigo is sick; he is resting. He really should not be woken up at all, but if this is what is necessary then I'm sure we can get one of our friends to help him out here if you would be patient enough to  _wait,_ unless you have any other horribly ill innocent children to experiment on, torture, convict, and execute?" Uryu said with a smile that could cut glass. Jesus christ,  _go off_  Uryu.

"No, we do not." Toshiro said flatly as the two continued to glare at each other.

"...Does that mean I can drop my shield now?" Orihime asked awkwardly. Everyone seemed to realize how long Orihime had been holding it up and Yoruichi laughed.

"Yes, no one is in danger right now. Kisuke and whoever else is needed are just going to get Ichigo now." She said. Orihime dropped her shield with a sigh, rolling her stiff shoulders.

"Ah, sorry about that Orihime." Ukitake apologized sheepishly, furiously gesturing behind his back for everyone to put their weapons away. Once they did Kisuke bowed several times with a couple "undabar!"'s and what Ichigo could only describe as french laughter and rushed back into the shop with Masaki.

"Oh my goodness, this is not how I imagined today going." Masaki heaved once she got inside. Isshin finally, thankfully, let go of Ichigo and he could breathe easy again as they all huddled together out of sight, Chad joining them.

"Okay, how the fuck did that work?!" Ichigo exclaimed, jabbing at Kisuke's disguise. "And don't get me started on your 'accent.' What the hell was that even supposed to be?!" Kisuke stroked his fake mustache in apparent hurt.

"I'm insulted Ichigo-kun, if I can make a suitable treatment for an unknown disease then I should be able to make a disguise just as well!" Kisuke huffed.

"That's not a disguise! That's a gag gift you buy at the dollar store! How did they not see through it?! Are they just, are they just, just stupid -" Ichigo broke off into a bout of coughing, weakly rubbing his chest despite how useless he knew it was.

"Don't worry about it Ichigo, that's just how he works..." Masaki said giving him a weary look and handing him a hanky. Ichigo took it, confused until he saw the blood staining his hand from his hacking. At least it was red, that meant he was starting to flush out the infection.

"Okay, I uh, I guess I'll let that go but how did you get all those signatures? How in the world did you manage to put that all together?" Ichigo asked.

"I have my ways..." Kisuke said cryptically stroking his mustache. "And you happen to be related to and in the hands of a lot of important people. We went about getting everything together as soon as you fell back asleep and we knew what we needed to do. Uryu really gave us that last piece there though when he contacted his father about helping us." Kisuke added. Ichigo blinked.

"He did?" Ichigo asked. Kisuke nodded.

"As I understand it was not entirely...  _pleasant_  going to his father, but he has been working very hard with us to exploit legal loopholes in your favor." Kisuke said. That, that was surprising... Ichigo suddenly remembered the conversation with Chad he'd had. Maybe he was different, maybe he was trying to make up for everything.

"So this is it now? We really have to go to court?" Isshin asked. Kisuke sighed and nodded.

"We have no choice now but to go to court with Ichigo, but we knew we would have to do that eventually so there really are some legal papers in there. I am sorry to push you into this though, Masaki." Kisuke said. Masaki shook her head with a determined look.

"No need for apologies, I would have volunteered whether or not you said anything." She said. Ichigo looked at the three, all huddled together planning how to save him.

"Thank you, all of you... None of you had to do this." Ichigo said quietly. He wasn't great at thanking people, but he tried very hard to show just how much he appreciated this. Masaki reached for him and Ichigo flinched back, Masaki wisely lowering her hand instead to offer it to him, which he quickly took to make up for his reaction.

"Of course we do, Ichigo. You're our nephew, you're _family_ , and you came and helped us first when you were in desperate danger. Even without all of that, doing this is just the right thing to do. No child deserves to be imprisoned and executed, let alone you." Masaki said rubbing her thumb over his hand and smiling softly. Ichigo swallowed the bitter reply on his tongue, resisting the urge to tell her that he was no child, he didn't belong in their family, and all the lovely things he could say about what he  _deserved_. But she just wouldn't understand, none of them would, none of them knew the things he had done or even really what he was. A mon -

**_Ichigo._ **

_What?_

**_Ichigo. You're Ichigo. That's what you really are, just Ichigo. Hollow, quincy, human, shinigami, all still Ichigo. Warrior, student, weapon, child, killer, savior, it's all just Ichigo in the end. You're you, and who you are is the greatest, weirdest, fuckiest shithouse of a person I've ever known. No matter what you've done you're still the strongest, kindest, and most caring person I've ever met and I've met a shitton of people for a hollow-spirit. I know what you've done, I know who you are. Sure there's some stupid shit you've hidden from me, but I know that it's not something terrible you've done, it's something terrible that's happened to you because I know you and you don't hide your mistakes from us. I've seen you at your absolute worst, I've seen you killing and tearing apart your enemies, I've seen you relish in their pain and thrive on death, I've seen you fuck up so bad even I couldn't excuse it, I've seen you hurt people who didn't deserve it, let people down, let people die and even throughout all of that you were never a monster. You were just you, Ichigo. You grew and changed but it was still just you over and over again trying so damn hard to make sure you never got to your worst, to make sure you never hurt anyone and made up for it tenfold when you did, outweighing mistakes with the overwhelming good shit you did, the truly insane god-like acts all to just protect everyone. You literally break reality just to save people, and that's not what a monster would do. Take it from me!_**  Shiro snickered. Ichigo was just silent for a moment, shocked.

 _Shiro? Are you feeling alright?_  Ichigo asked slowly.

 _ **Of course I'm feeling alright you daft ass! Do you really think so lowly of yourself I have to be sick to say something good about you?!**_ Shiro snapped.

_I just wasn't expecting a lecture! That's more Ossan's thing anyway..._

**Usually.**  Ossan admitted.  **But you felt like you were going to spiral again, and it needed to be said. We haven't been around to say it as much as we nearly should have, and Shiro does have some things to make up for.**

**_Hey!_ **

_Okay, okay... I don't spiral that much..._  Ichigo muttered.

_**Yes you do, enough that even with us sleeping half the time we noticed it. All it takes is one thought and suddenly you're gone! Like your little freak-outs.** _

_Shiro -_

**Hush Ichigo, talk comes later.**  Ossan said. Kisuke was back to speaking before Ichigo could protest further and he was forced back to reality.

"Alright, we'll go on ahead and keep the busy while you 'get ready' - they still think you're resting. Isshin, stay here and hide and Chad, you help Ichigo out into the front when I tell you to." Kisuke said. Ichigo frowned.

"I don't need any help facing the captains." Ichigo said. The three looked at him.

"Ichigo, you're shaking all over and you need the door to stand." Masaki said. Ichigo blinked and realized they were right, he didn't even notice the tremors or that he hadn't really moved from where Isshin left him.

"Oh." Ichigo said. They turned back from him, focused on their tasks again.

"Lets go everyone." Kisuke said.

"We'll be right with you." Masaki whispered leaning in close and taking his hand still held in hers to gently kiss it.

She was gone before he could say anything and Ichigo was left in a strange sort of shock. His hand tingled where she had kissed it, but he didn't feel the urge to wipe it away and the only warmth he felt was in his chest and a strange ache he gradually realized wasn't from his burning lungs. Chad and Isshin huddled with him out of sight, Chad offering him a strong arm to hold onto which Ichigo graciously took, stilling his trembling legs. True to the captains' words, no one did anything as they all waited patiently (save for Mayuri) talking with Kisuke and Masaki. Well, mostly. One of the lieutenants, a woman with wavy blonde hair and a rather curvaceous figure was managing to chat and gossip with just about everyone there despite her irritated captain's commands to remain on their side, which she paid no attention to. She seemed nice enough, friendly even, but something about her made Ichigo shrink away from the group, some part of her appearance that made him feel small and scared again... just like those early days... like he was a pe - Ichigo didn't dare follow that thought. He wasn't that, he wasn't anybody's  _pet_ , not again. So he focused on how much her hair looked like Masaki's instead of the similarity between her figure and Adalphine's whenever he couldn't distract himself.

**_Adalphine? You mean that pink-haired bitch?_ **

_I told you I don't like that word..._  Ichigo warned, but it was more to distract how stiff he had become.

 ** _Fine fine, there are better words without such harmful connotations yadda yadda just use "taint-licker,"_ whatever _._**  Shiro snorted.  ** _Either way, I don't remember ever fighting her, just maybe seeing her once._**

 _Well she must have been around for the times you were asleep. Now hush, they're gonna be done soon._  Ichigo said quickly, trying to steer the conversation away from them. But either Shiro was just freaking dense or he could sense how anxious Ichigo was getting because he just ignored him.

**_No, see you wouldn't get so upset about somebody reminding you of a lady from the Old Worlds unless she had a serious impact on you, usually a shitty one. But we're always awake for major battles, hell most battles really, so I should remember her. Who the hell was she anyways?_ **

_No one, just one of the quincies close in the Gottlich. And you forget shit all the time._  Ichigo added, cracking his fingers. He didn't seem to notice, but he had a habit of cracking joints and playing with his fingers absently, or clicking pens in school. Well, that one he noticed because his teachers yelled at him.

 _ **No I don't! And a quincy close in the Gottlich isn't just no one, they're all pretty damn memorable! You obviously remember her, so what's the deal? I mean, literally everybody hurts you so they have to do something especially horrible to make you so uncomfortable, so what, did she kill one of the few souls close to you? Did she try to get to us like Ebner? Was she one of Ebner's cohorts? Was she one of the ones who tortured you?**  _Ichigo froze and Shiro stopped, knowing immediately that was it.

 _I should ask Kisuke who he used to be in the gotei, he wouldn't try to disguise himself for nothing._  Ichigo said, completely changing the subject. This was one of the few things that his spirits knew not to talk about with him, and he wasn't going to change that now. He had told them all they needed to know about that period of time; he had been captured and tortured for information and that's why his spirits were out for so long. And that's it. They knew if they tried to talk to him about it he would just disengage or even leave, which was worse in their books than him getting into a fight with them. It felt a little cruel to do that, but they couldn't know. They just couldn't, they wouldn't ever know what had happened, he couldn't do that to them, they couldn't. They couldn't know, they couldn't know they couldn't know they couldn'tknowtheycouldn'tkno -

 _ **She hurt you, she tried to hurt us?**_  Shiro asked slowly, a little quieter. He shouldn't bother, really. Ichigo would react to him the same way whether or not he was trying to be gentle. Seeing that Ichigo wasn't going to answer, Shiro switched tactics.

**_How long were you captured by them anyways? You never told us how long, just that it had been a while._ **

_..._

_How long do you think?_  Ichigo asked slowly, carefully.

**_I don't know, a couple months at most? Ichigo I don't even really know how old you are and I wasn't around to keep track, I just know it wasn't long 'cause you were back to kickin' ass pretty quick._ **

_Exactly, so what does it matter?_

**Kicking ass immediately after a mysterious amount of time being tortured isn't indicative of someone doing well, it's just the result of living somewhere where you die if you don't get back up and fight. All Ichigo did was survive. Even if he did make it through fine, which he clearly hasn't, we still need to know these things. Like how old our own wielder is.**

**_I know the general age! Like, somewhere from 12 to 23, you know, a teenager!_ **

_Wha - Shiro 23 is not a teen -_

**That's a ridiculous age range. Ichigo is 15.**

**_So then I was right! 15's a teenager, he was in my range!_ **

_Shiro your range was completely wrong, do you even have any idea of what a teenager is? What it means to be a teenager? Do either of you?_

**_Yeah, you!_ **

**A human going through puberty, although by that standard you seem to have finished growing by your tall stature, but that could also be because your soul was going through Distressed Pituitary Growth in order to meet the constant threats of your environment. That is at least what I overheard other souls saying when referring to you being too tall for your age.**

_... I forgot that you guys don't get concepts like that since age doesn't affect you, though I would have expected Ossan to know._

**I thought my definition was just fine for an ageless being. As a soul born a human, you're close to reaching adulthood, right?**

Ichigo paused, not quite sure what to say. This was sort of a pattern he saw in ageless souls or just spirits from the afterlife in general, they lost their concept of what age meant for a person. 15 wasn't really considered close to adulthood, but Ichigo thought it was pretty much there to him. That and age didn't really apply to him, he was experienced and matured far beyond his years, so he could hardly be considered a teenager or even young. Even when he was a child, he wasn't really, not in the true sense of the word. He could never be a child. His childhood was forever lost to the war.

_Sort of, but you're considered an adult when you reach 18, which is only three years away for me and I'd say that's pretty damn close. And besides, age doesn't really matter in this case, I stopped being young a long, long time ago and started being an adult early. I mean, would you really say the things I've done are the things of a child? The whole point of age is to measure experience and skill, so by that account I'm more than an adult, I'm practically centuries old._

**I... I'm not sure that's how that works, but you will always feel young to me.**

_**Yeah, Kisuke seemed to think you were pretty young, like, too young whenever he was working on you.** _

_Hey, I'm the only expert on age here so I'd think I'd know whether or not I was a teenager or an adult._

**_But those other humans out there, pastry puff, glasses, and macho man are like all the same age as you._ **

_Pastry - Do you mean Orihime, Uryu, and Chad?_

**_Yeah yeah, you know what I mean!_ **

_Well, that's - um - I mean, that's just different,_  I'm _different. They don't have the experience I have, which is why Kisuke's wrong, none of them know just what I am or everything I've done. I mean seriously, when's the last time I ever felt anything other than old and exhausted? I just feel tired, stretched out, like I've seen too much, done too much, I already know so much... More than any of them, not because they're stupid, I just, I'm_ older _. I have more experience... I doubt any of them could really match everything I've done..._

**Is that why it's so difficult to interact with your peers?**

_Uh, well, I guess, but a lot of that is just that I'm not really used to having to. I mean, it's not like my classmates have ever really talked to me before, and I don't have any friends here._

**_Why not? Why the hell wouldn't people talk to you or wanna be friends - you're fucking awesome when you're not being a weak dickhead!_**  Ichigo had to keep from snorting out loud. His spirits really were disillusioned.

_Are you kidding? Nobody wants to even be near me in the Old Worlds, why would that be different here? In fact it's almost worse, there are a billion times more normal people here and I clearly don't belong. I'm a freak, people avoid me any way they can. At school, people don't look me in the eye, they stop talking when I walk past, they spread rumors about me and stare at me when they think I'm not looking, not even the teachers like me. I mean my current one is actually the nicest one so far, but even she has to double check my work because the whole school is convinced my delinquent ass is cheating. And those aren't even the people who flat out hate me, those are the ones who try to trip me up on homework, get me kicked out of school, get me fired from work, hell, even get me arrested._

**_Really? Why the hell did you never tell us about this?! Those fucking assholes, those - they're just stupid little taint-lickers who would piss themselves if they ever found out how goddamn powerful you are!_ **

_Shiro..._  Ichigo sighed.  _You can't exactly blame them, I'm really the one doing all this. I used to think it was just everyone else and they were all just stuck up assholes who didn't understand me, but then I realized_  I _was the one who didn't understand. I was so busy blaming them I wasn't looking at myself. I realized this a while back... I don't have any friends because I don't like people, I snap at my classmates, I get angry and scared faster than I should, I freak out over stupid things, and I avoid them back. People don't like or trust me for a reason, and everyone thinks I'm insane. After I came back to this world when I was 11 I was a complete mess, I was falling apart all the time. Everything was just one big, long mental breakdown. Even before that I would break down in class crying or getting into fights, but this was even worse. I stopped talking, crying, eating, playing, all the normal stuff I did and I started having meltdowns. When someone touched me I just went ballistic, screaming and throwing things, cursing, running away and hiding, I mean it was bad. I accidentally hurt my classmates too, all those years I spent learning to control my instincts and reflexes and reactions went right out the window. I had to learn how to control myself all over again, but it was too late. The cat was out of the bag, I was completely broken and I was hurting people I didn't mean to. I just wanted everybody to leave me the hell alone, so they gladly did. Who the hell wants to be with somebody with that kind of track record?_

**_Chad seems pretty fine with you._ **

Ichigo looked at Chad, remembering that he was holding onto him. He didn't seem to mind how Ichigo clung to him, nor that he was getting blood on him from whenever he covered his mouth with his hand to cough.

_Chad's different, he's better than the average person. And besides, he barely had any time to know me at school, he didn't see what I was like back then._

**_Bullshit. But what about Orihime? She really seems to like you, you can't deny that. And what about Rukia? Sure you guys aren't exactly friends, but she doesn't call you a freak or anything and she saw you as a hollow, even hunted you. I still wanna beat that pipsqueak, but she stood up for you when she didn't have to. Or what about Uryu? I think I might even hate him more, but he's stopped calling you "hybrid."_ **

_He has?_

**_Yeah, you haven't exactly been paying attention now, but he calls you by your name. He's standing up for you too, though he's an asshole and he still treats you like shit which puts him smack on my list of dumb brats to beat to a sniveling pulp that stupid stubborn bastard - but that's not really the point, point is these people are sticking with you regardless of how you push others away. Ooh, and better yet, what about Isshin and Masaki? They're your family and they seem damn pleased to be!_ **

Ichigo didn't really know how to answer that, how to articulate that that was just a fluke, that it had to be when Chad tugged on his arm, bringing him out of his thoughts. Ichigo looked around and saw that Mayuri and Kisuke appeared to be arguing over something, but Kisuke was looking back to the shop in between words to wink emphatically. Ichigo wanted to punch the fake mustache right off his face.

"That must be the signal!" Isshin exclaimed beside them. Ichigo rolled his eyes, but he couldn't ignore how his stomach flipped.

"Of course it is, that idiot doesn't know the meaning of subtlety -" Ichigo said breaking off into a cough.

"Do you need a minute?" Chad asked pausing. Ichigo shook his head, still coughing a little.

"No, no I'm fine. Let's just get this over with." Ichigo said sucking in a shaky breath.

Chad nodded and put a supporting arm around his waste which made Ichigo immediately tense up, but this was the only way he was getting out there. He was quickly tiring after having woken up prematurely. Zangetsu still hung menacingly on his back and hip, a comforting presence that made him itch to have them in his hands and feel even better, but that would only make things worse. As Chad led Ichigo out front all the shinigami stopped listening to Kisuke and Mayuri and turned to look at him with a variety of expressions. Mayuri and Byakuya had obviously seen him in much worse shape as well as just having seen him before, so no surprise there, but the rest clearly weren't expecting whatever he looked like. He couldn't help but feel self conscious as seven sets of eyes bore into him with a certain degree of... pity? Horror? Empathy? The second he could get considering what and who he was, but why would they feel that in this case? Jesus, he knew he looked a little beat up but this was the best he had looked in a long, long time. He'd even had his hair done (albeit in his sleep).

"This is the big bad hybrid?" The busty lady asked incredulously.

"Nice to meet you too." Ichigo said dryly as he coughed and looked around. Masaki and Orihime immediately came over on either side, subtly offering him protection he hadn't expected.

"Ichigo! I wanted to see you when you woke up, but I guess this will have to do! How are you feeling?" Orihime asked, leaning in to whisper to him. Ichigo jerked his head back subconsciously at the proximity, but answered nonetheless.

"Probably the best I've ever remembered feeling. I saw you out here with your shields, talking with them and stopping them from taking me. Thank you, I know how scared you must have been, you were, uh, you were very brave Orihime. But you don't have to worry about me with these guys though, I know I could get away if I needed to." Ichigo quickly whispered back, eyeing the group warily. It seemed they were finally getting over the shock of whatever was wrong with Ichigo as Shunsui greeted him.

"Well hello Ichigo, we've all heard a lot about you." Shunsui said offering him a lazy smile. His and Ukitake's calm demeanor would have made him a little less on edge than he usually was if this was a different situation.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ichigo said flatly. Shunsui's smile faltered.

"Yes, you haven't exactly been able to defend yourself, but hopefully this upcoming case will let you do just that. Has your friend here told you what's been going on?" Shunsui asked. Ichigo nodded.

"Chad passed on the general situation to me and I can guess how everything else went down what with the clown-freak being here." Ichigo said jerking his head in Mayuri's direction. Instead of reacting with anger, Mayuri just smiled.

"Throw insults all you want, your body will become my lab's most important asset again. That was awfully rude of you to not tell me what you were when we met." Mayuri sneered. Ichigo suppressed a shudder and clenched his fists.

"That's enough Mayuri!" Ukitake warned in a sharp change from his normal gentleness. He turned back to Ichigo before Mayuri could snap at him.

"Please forgive us, we had no choice in who was brought on this mission. If it had been up to the majority of us he would not be here to antagonize you." Ukitake said with an apologetic smile. Ichigo just blinked.

"Oh, uh... thanks? But it doesn't matter anyways, you're all here to capture or kill me just the same." Ichigo said, voice becoming as resigned as he felt.

"Jeez kid, you really just go for it don't you?" Shunsui laughed somewhat nervously. "To be fair we were expecting to be going after some mindless chimera-like being, not a sick little kid." Ichigo twitched at being called a little kid, but let it slip.

"Most would still say I was the former." Ichigo coughed. He wiped away the flecks of blood on his lips when he saw the clear concern on the shinigami's faces, quickly shrugging. "But don't count yourself so special, over half the people I meet try to kill me on the spot whether or not they know I'm a hybrid." Somehow that seemed to do the exact opposite of comforting the group.

"Uh well, we can certainly promise you that will not be the case when you show up to court in about a week - we are only allowed to give you one." Ukitake said apologetically. Masaki just nodded with an understanding smile. Something told Ichigo she knew this was going to happen. "But speaking of court, there is one thing we need from you before we leave and I'm afraid you cannot refuse." Ukitake said giving Mayuri a look. Ichigo silently sucked in a breath and steeled himself, trying to look every bit as steady as the soldier he was.

"Tell me. Whatever it is I can do it." Ichigo said. Masaki looked like she was going to protest, but Mayuri was already stepping forward with what looked like a finger-prick.

"Just the assurance that you will not try to escape before your court date." Mayuri said with a wicked grin.  _To make sure you don't escape from me._

"It's just a tracker like the one Renji has, and I'm sure once the case is over it will be removed. All it does is track,  _right_  Captain?" Ukitake asked with a hard look. Mayuri scoffed.

"As so boringly requested, _yes_. Now give me your arm - and don't struggle." Mayuri said snapping his fingers impatiently. Ichigo locked eyes with him and thrust his arm forward, refusing to give him the satisfaction of fear. His eye twitched when he felt the device clamp around his arm and inject something into him, but he refused to shake or flinch. Once it was done he yanked his arm back and resisted the urge to rub it. It didn't hurt, but the memories did. Ukitake gave a relieved sigh.

"Alright, if that's all we must leave and report to the Head-Captain." He said preparing to turn.

"I'd hardly say we're done here." Byakuya interrupted. Ichigo thought he heard Ukitake mutter something under his breath, but he looked up with a smile.

"Yes, Byakuya-san?" He asked.

"You know very well that the case of our subordinates is not so easily solved. Both have been skirting their duties, semi-illegally assisting in a plot, withholding information, and now are privy to sensitive information that cannot be shared anywhere else." Byakuya said. Ukitake put a hand to his chin seriously, thinking.

"Well I don't see why their duties wouldn't change now, they have been hiding Ichigo for quite some time now and it would be invaluable to have some of our own continuing to do so. Would it not make the most sense to assign Rukia and Renji to watch over Ichigo and report back to us before the case? We know that both are loyal shinigami dedicated to the gotei and this is their first offense, surely we can investigate once the situation isn't so tense." Ukitake said. Byakuya looked at the two standing with their backs straight, heads down. Ichigo couldn't tell which way he was swaying, but he desperately hoped he went with Ukitake's plan. He didn't think he could stand it if either one was punished just for helping him.

"Very well. But know that further discretions will not be forgiven so easily." Byakuya said. Renji and Rukia quickly bowed.

"Yes, Captain! Thank you Captain!" They barked.

"Well if we're all done here  _now_  let's go." Shunsui said bowing to Ichigo first, then the rest. "Until we next meet." The rest of the shinigami bowed seriously, even the previously chatty lady. Ichigo dipped his head in return, unable to do much else thanks to the growing pain in his chest. If he tried he might vomit.

"Until then..." Kisuke dipped his bucket hat, watching as the captains and lieutenants disappeared to wherever the next senkaimon was going to be. Once they were gone, Ichigo sagged in relief, Chad, Orihime, and Masaki making sounds of concern as he slipped to the ground. He just waved them off, but now that all the tension and adrenaline from the situation had left all that was left was his illness and exhaustion.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" Chad rumbled putting a strong hand on Ichigo's back to keep him propped up. Ichigo coughed, nodding his head sluggishly. Gods he needed to sleep...

"No, no I'm fine I just, I'm just, ugh... real, real tired... I'll... be, uhhhhhh" Ichigo cut off squinting slightly at the strange feeling his stomach was throwing at him.

"Ichigo?" Orihime asked. Ichigo opened his mouth and promptly threw up, blood and bile from his empty stomach splattering the ground.

"Woah!" Masaki cried. " _Okay..._  Let's get you back to bed." She said waving Kisuke over. Ichigo just groaned and spat out the foul liquids.

**_Hey you mind if we just knock you out now? You're already gonna pass out soon and I told you vomit was a deal-breaker!_ **

_What? No -_

**_Deal-breaker Ichigo!_ **

Suddenly everything became way too light and heavy at the same time and Ichigo felt himself falling. The world was rapidly going dark, but he could still hear the panicked cries of those around him and feel the strong but gentle arms encasing him to lift him up. The warm scent of flowers and spice left him pleasantly confused as someone whispered in his ear. It sounded like... Ma...sa...k...i...

.

.

.

-x-

**Kisuke Urahara**

Kisuke sighed as he finally sat down. He had just finished setting Ichigo back up in his room and assuring everyone that Ichigo was fine, he was just exhausted and needed to rest for a couple more days. If that was all there was, then that should be the end of the day, the end of this chapter and the start of the next one tomorrow. But it seemed fate had no such plans for him when the shop phone rang across the room. Groaning, Kisuke began the painful task of getting back up and dragging himself to the phone. But he had a reputation to uphold.

"Hello there~ Urahara's Shoten speaking, who mi -" Kisuke stopped at the voice on the other end.

"Oh, oh I see..."

"..."

"Yes, it has been a while. How are you?"

Kisuke laughed.

"Yes, yes that sounds like them." Kisuke paused. "I am pleased to hear from you, but you and I both know you didn't call to exchange pleasantries. You've heard, haven't you?"

"Hmm, so long as news hasn't traveled beyond your sources. His name is Ichigo, Ichigo Godebert and he is indeed a complete hybrid. You wouldn't even know he was anything other than a human or shinigami from looking at him, but trust me, he is the full fusion of races."

"Yes, otherwise I would not be supporting him so strongly. I will admit that he does have some... issues still, but you must understand that he has been severely mistreated by his family and peers and gone through some truly terrible things. I would be more concerned if he didn't have more issues. As for physical stability there are of course points to improve upon, as with anyone. We know for sure that his quincy heritage has not been explored at all due to other circumstances, but I know that's not the side you're worried about."

"I've met with him, his hollow. He is the equivalent of a zanpakuto spirit, not the merging of hollow and zanpakuto like yours."

"Yes, he did take over Ichigo's body to speak with me but the two are nonetheless close and he was doing it to protect Ichigo. He perceived me as a threat."

"I know, and I would not ask you to. But he doesn't deserve to be punished for what he is, you of all people know this. He needs support, he needs someone to be on his side and help him for once in his life, it's not fair to make a  _fifteen year old_  boy fight for his life all alone."

"Yes, he is fifteen. He lived a mostly human life with his mother until he died. I'm not as -"

"No, I know, I'm not asking you to accept him as one of your own, I never said that. I know what others have said, yes, yes he did go on a killing spree in Hueco Mundo but that was to heal himself, his hollow needed him in that state to heal. I won't make excuses for beyond that but you have to admit there was a reason. Look, I have to know, will you support us? I know this is a lot to ask, but will you vouch for him in court? You are the only source of expertise on this matter."

"So then will you?"

"There isn't much time to think - Hello? Hello? Dammit." Kisuke dropped the phone. He rubbed his head, looking towards Ichigo's room. So they really were on their own.

* * *

National Alliance on Mental Health  
\- 1-800-950-6264  
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance  
\- 1-800-826-3632  
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  
\- 1-877-SAMHSA-7  
National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
\- 1-800-273-8255  
Crisis Text Line  
\- Text "Start" 741-741  
S.A.F.E. Alternatives  
\- 1-800-DONTCUT  
The Trevor Project  
\- 1-866-488-7386 (24/7)  
\- Text "Trevor" 1-202-304-1200 (F 4pm - 8pm EST)  
Disaster Distress Helpline  
\- 1-800-985-5990  
\- Text "TalkWithUs" 66746  
National Sexual Violence Resource Center  
\- 1-877-739-3895  
RAINN- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
National Sexual Assault Hotline  
\- 1-800-656-4673  
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence  
\- 303-839-1852  
The National Domestic Violence Hotline  
\- 1-800-799-SAFE  
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  
\- 1-800-537-2238  
USA National Child Abuse Hotline  
\- 1-800-422-4453 (24/7)  
National Safe Place  
\- Text SAFE and your current location to the number 69866 (24/7)

* * *

 

**\----x-x-x-x- ANOUNCEMENT -x-x-x-x----**

**I am taking a break right now.**  I'm not going on hiatus as that type of a leave would be for a month or some other extended period of time in my eyes and a break just means taking a week or so off. I don't actually know how long this break will last, but I can definitely say that the next chapter will be updated not a couple days late but a week. I really don't want to go on a hiatus, but this break is a bit of a test if you will. I have actually been considering breaks and hiatuses for a long time now, I just never said anything because I was having trouble figuring out if I was just experiencing writers block, burnout, or just being lazy and thought if I could just push through it and force myself to keep writing it would be okay. Turns out no...

I will let you guys know if anything changes or the break does evolve into a hiatus. In that event you will see that this story has updated with a new chapter, but it will actually be another announcement detailing the nature of the hiatus and giving more reasons for that decision. I do that because I don't know if stories will show up when you update old chapters instead of adding new ones - so far I haven't seen my story pop up when I go back and edit stuff. That's also why I will probably upload two chapters instead of one when I return from hiatus, one replacing the announcement as an actual chapter so as not to throw anyone off and the second so it will still show that the story has been updated.

You can leave your questions and concerns in the reviews or even PM me if you have something more specific or personal, but the long and short of it is I'm just tired. I'm struggling to enjoy writing anymore and while I don't yet know why I just have to stop. It's not good for me and it's certainly not good for the quality of my story to continue when I don't like what I'm doing. All the deadlines and the dates make this feel like a chore to do and that shouldn't be the case, I shouldn't be writing a chapter going "ugh god, good enough just get this done already I'm late enough as it is." I hope you guys understand. Until next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter feels all over the place but I got it done with all the chaos of the end of my quarter. This is probably one of the chapters I'll have to edit extensively once I finally get around to going back and re-proofreading every chapter, but you can't edit bad writing. Excluding chapter 16 I have just not been all that happy with the work I've been putting out or just Rebirth in general, but hopefully moving forward I won't make the same mistakes that have made Rebirth hard for me to like.
> 
> So... thanks Rukia. But truthfully she did what she thought was right and it made sense that she would turn to the gotei despite what everyone else told her because in this world she was never wrongfully convicted, sentenced to death, or watched one of the most trusted men in the whole of Soul Society betray everyone. She also doesn't understand just what's at stake, none of the K gang really do because none of them will ever experience what Ichigo did. For them that war is quite literally worlds away and it's easy to just forget about it when there's so much going on in their own. Ichigo in turn needs to realize that Rukia really is helping and maybe she's not like the other racist asshole shinigami in the Old Worlds who thought of him only as a hybrid, as a weapon. They both have some misunderstandings to overcome, but now they'll have plenty of time being stuck together in this case...
> 
> I wonder who could have called? Too bad whoever they are won't commit to helping Ichigo yet, they really left Kisuke hanging there... At least Ichigo has his friends and family to help him.  
> As always, thank you all for the feedback and feel free to let me know what you think! You can also ask me questions at my tumblr and I will try my best to answer!


	19. Announcement

**I AM CURRENTLY ON HIATUS**

-x-

-x-

-x-

So this is an important announcement: I am going on hiatus for Rebirth: Sternenprinz. As some of you know from notes and replies, I have never written fanfiction before and am still trying to figure this whole thing out with some sense of being overwhelmed a lot. This is going to be a long explanation, but I really want to tell you all why I am considering this.  **You can skip the explanation by just reading the last paragraph, but this has a lot to do with the direction of Rebirth from here on out.**

There are a couple reasons I am going on hiatus, the first being that I have simply lost steam on this project. Thinking back to how much fun I had writing this story in the beginning and writing it now is more than a little disheartening. Each chapter is another push to get a coherent addition by the deadline where I write as much as possible every day trying to cram in time between my schedule over and over again. With each chapter it came to be that I enjoyed writing this story less and less, but that I would just push through and hold on to the interesting bits because I didn't have time to consider whether or not I was enjoying what I wrote:  _I had a deadline to meet_. There are still certain parts where I remember having a lot of fun writing, but they are becoming less and less. I thought that it was just me dealing with the occasional writer's block and if I just pushed through it I would be fine. But then as I was struggling to write this chapter and putting it off day after day I came across a part where I had a sentence that just wasn't right and I was thinking of ways to fix it and just shrugged after a second going "eh, I don't really care" and went to move on. That really struck me, that I didn't really care if parts of my story weren't right.  
I looked back and realized that I was skipping out on places too, not putting in as much effort as I would have at the beginning because  _I_   _just wanted it to be done_. That's when I realized that me enjoying writing this story was really important not just for my sake but for the story's because if you don't enjoy doing something, you're not going to do it well let alone with 100% effort. I'd been considering for a long time ways I could change things to make this better, from changing my update schedule to rewriting parts of my story and changing chapter length.  
Besides the fact that deadlines automatically turn something I like into an assignment and add yet another heap of stress to my life, I also have a terrible history of becoming bored of ideas scary quick. I definitely feel for the person who struggles to come up with an idea and spends many days trying to jump-start their creative juices, but I just have so many ideas that it's become a problem. I tend to hyperfocus on something for a while and then just completely loose interest in it and move on to something else. If I focus on something for too long I get bored of it and end up not wanting to come back. So with these problems in mind, I don't know if I lost interest because of deadlines, stress, the ever-present burnout for longer stories, or my own fickle interest/attention span.

The second reason for the hiatus is entirely my fault. I don't know whether or not this is just my over-critical attitude towards my work, but I just don't like this story. When I go back and read the first few chapters, I can actually enjoy them for all their flaws and my regrets, but everything after I just don't like. I hate how long it is, I hate how long it takes for the story to pick up, and I hate how everything just meanders on with so little direction. I didn't plan things out like I should have which ended up making things long and dragged out because I had no clear goals I was working towards other than a vague sense that Ichigo's friends needed to find out about him and he needed to end up in their care.  
This is why a while back I was considering doing a rewrite, to fix the rough start of my story. I still kind of want to do that because rather than going with my instinct and just straight up writing what I wanted to happen, I thought that there had to be some sort of buildup, some action and hook. This story was just supposed to be Ichigo killing himself in the first chapter and ending up in his family and friend's care healing from his past in the Old Worlds in the beginning, no action, just hurt/comfort. But then things got kind of ahead of me and suddenly I was writing about cults and impending apocalypses which was cool, but not what I was prepared to do. I wanted to write hurt/comfort, but the majority of the story has been nothing but mystery and action/adventure. The worldbuilding is all the same and I wouldn't change a thing about it, but I would have written many things differently. I would have scrapped the whole prologue and just had Ichigo's suicide happen in the first chapter, no academy shenanigans or nothing. Only problem is, I've built up a whole narrative and come up with some pretty integral events to the story that would either need serious revision or complete erasure. So a rewrite needs a lot of thought, and I need to figure out if it is worth it more to continue working with what I have or just start over again.

At first I didn't want to do a hiatus because I thought it might upset the small following of people who read Rebirth. I also worried that if I didn't keep going, I would get distracted and end up never coming back to it. But during my break literally no one seemed phased and I only received like one comment during that time. That's a little bit of the hiatus too, I know that there are people that really enjoy Rebirth but it's difficult not to compare my story to other works that are shorter and newer but have way more likes/kudos and feedback. I can be proud of my work and recognize that for all it's issues it has value but there's a difference between value and validation. I've put over seven months of work into this story writing pretty much everyday for free, I literally get nothing out of this other than your feedback (which has mostly been wonderful and positive so far) and it's disheartening when that feedback goes away. I can look at my story stats and all the numbers are dropping. I don't get nearly as many comments/reviews or kudos/likes and people have stopped reading Rebirth as much. I used to get notifications and reviews and likes every day. But now I'm lucky if I get three or four over two weeks, and on it's really just "update please." It's just really discouraging. For something that I've put so much work into I don't feel very rewarded. The impression I get is that Rebirth isn't a good enough story to be getting more feedback, it's just okay. Not terrible but not exactly great either, not compelling enough to keep reading which makes sense, I'm not compelled to keep writing anymore. That's just my frustrations and how I feel. It makes me wish I could just start over and write things right.

The rest is just stress. I have a lot of things going on right now and my personal life is just too hectic to fit in writing time without making me overly stressed anymore. I just need a break, I need to rest and probably write other things so I can bring back that spark of interest.

Well, that was a long explanation, but everything I write could use shortening. I've updated with this whole announcement as a separate chapter so you guys will at least be notified. I will probably upload two chapters instead of one when I return, one replacing the announcement as an actual chapter so as not to throw anyone off and the second so it will still show that the story has been updated.


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